Avatar: The Wild Lands
by Media In Sanity
Summary: An Avatar is born to teach peace to a medieval world that has long ago forgotten hope. On his journey, he'll travel through the Feuds of the Fire Knights; face the sinister Waterbending Sea Raiders of the gelid North Sea and seek to stop the Caliph in the East, whose Holy Army threatens to conquer and submit the entitery of the Wild Lands.
1. Not all Heroes are Sung

"This world's gone mad," sighed the rider of a carriage as his caravan faced a blockade with armored guards. He faced the four passengers. "Stay quiet, everyone." Said the man as he noticed that he soldiers had the emblem of the Crescent Moon on their vests.

"Halt," shouted a female guard. "No one is allowed to leave the surroundings of the Gulf of Misra for the next 13 days."

"May the peace be upon you too, sister." Remarked the driver jumping off his carriage and petting the two exhausted camel-elephants that had dragged him across the cold night in the desert. "This place is nowhere near the Gulf. What are you talking about? I'm not just anyone, by the way. I am an old friend of the watch's captain and he'd never boss me aroun-"

"I'm the watch's captain." She replied.

"Oh," he glanced at his carriage and scratched his forehead. His insides wrapped and no word left his throat. "Now that's just something else."

"We'll investigate the carriage." Said the woman as her men surrounded the caravan. "Step aside."

"Wait, wait, wait-" The rider rose his right arm and approached his passengers. "Uncle, negotiate with them for a moment."

He pulled a man outside and disappeared among the passengers.

"You'll have to go now, Aziza." Rustled the rider to a woman who concealed her face beneath wraps. "Don't look back. We'll keep them busy here." He rested his right hand upon her veil and shoved the cloth to the side to caress the head of a child. "These guys are benders, so don't expect that we'll hold them for long."

"W-What have I ever done to deserve all of this from you?" Rustled the woman staring at him with tears in her eyes.

"Promised to flee with young me and then left him hanging as you went to marry some sheikh instead." He sighed afraid as the steps of the guards grew louder outside. His lips trembled and he could not tell if he felt fear or if he counted every second that he could spend next to Aziza. The man frowned upon the child who slept unaware of the harsh world that lurked closer to him with every second. "Does this little guy have a name yet?"

"I just thought of one," she rose her eyes towards the man and spoke the rider's name as tear shined upon her cheek. "Hadi."

Hadi faced her without expression on his face. Her words stroke him deeper than a blade ever could.

"Leave the carriage now!" Shouted a soldier from outside. Yet the man did not react. He faced Aziza and her son named as a thief glares at his treasure.

"You think..." uttered Hadi as he swallowed his fear. "There is a world where we both will grow old together?"

She sobbed:

"I wish."

The guard screamed again:

"This is your last warning!"

The baby in Aziza's arms cried with the shout. A curtain of eyes widened upon him.

"There's a child inside!" Yelled the Captain. "Bring it to me now!"

"Damn it!" Yelled Hadi swinging the tip of his whip at the camel-elephants' backs. The animals moaned loud and heaved their bodies against the guards. The man shook with excitement. "Get us outta here, you dumb pests-"

A pillar of earth rose from beneath the carriage and impaled the vehicle. A cloud of sand rose from the ground as the rising ground threw the passengers flying off the freight. The ropes tying the camel-elephants to the carriage broke and the animals spread across the desert amidst the chaos.

"Hadi... H-Hadi..." coughed Aziza as she faced her baby. She held him as if she carried her own life.

"Please, Aziza, run! There is no time!" Yelled the rider'ss uncle as he pulled her off the ground. "Get through the mist-"

He few against the ground with blood on his chest.

"Adil, no!" Recoiled Aziza closing her eyes as she ran away from the destroyed carriage. Yet the echoes of screams, blades and pain moved faster than her legs ever could. The voices of the dying haunted her. "I'm so sorry," she rustled to herself as the wind carried her tears. "Adil, Hadi..."

The guards sought the corpses paving the ground around the fallen caravan.

"There is no trace of a baby, Captain." Said a guard. "Did she get away?"

"Unless she grows wings and flies," the Captain frowned upon her feet and smirked as if she could hear Aziza's desperation weighing upon the ground with her every step. "No one gets away from me. After her!"

Aziza ran through a tiny village of anglers near the Middle Sea. She cried as the violent waves swallowed the beach and begged her to deliver Hadi to their cares.

"I can't..." She sobbed as she kneeled upon the edge of a harbor and her reflection eclipsed the Red Moon hovering over the water. "I'm so weak."

Her tears crawled down her face and drizzled upon Hadi. His crying ceased in spite of the voice of the guards that grew louder:

"They said that she ran to the harbors! Go, now!" Ordered the Captain as she closed the doors to an old home.

Aziza sobbed as she rested her son inside a basket. His face reddened to cry as he stretched his arms to reach her and she could not pull him back towards her chest.

"I'm sorry," she pulled a bracelet off her arm and wrapped around Hadi's neck like a necklace. Her fingers danced over the jewel and the clay in the object deformed itself, forming the word "Hadi" in her language. "This gift is so that you'll go far..." Explained Aziza. "But always remember why and where you came from."

She embraced Hadi as if she could give him her heart and rested him on the basket. She delivered him upon the water and watched the waves drag him away as he cried for her to bring him back.

"You hear the crying?" Asked a guard. "There! In the harbor! I found them!"

Aziza nonchalantly stared at her son as he moved away. Her lips mumbled a lullaby as if the wind could carry her words and calm him.

"There's a better place waiting for you." Spoke Aziza to convince herself that the waters would not pull him to the depths of the ocean. "I know there is. If there is anyone listening to my prayer, you will survive. You'll be loved and one day you may come back to show us how to." She sobbed. "Good bye. The peace be upon you, Hadi."

"We found him!" Yelled a man with a bow and arrow on his backs. "Over there, in the waves!"

"He's got there fast." Yelled the Captain glancing at her guard.

"Yeah, he did." Replied the man.

"What are you waiting for?" She yelled at him and narrowed her eyes at his bow. "These are the Caliph's orders, Basin; not mine. Kill him!"

The guard rose his trembling arrow at the distant child. Aziza had her eyes closed as she mumbled a silent prayer for him to miss.

"Why are you taking so long? He's getting away!" Yelled the Captain as she pulled the bow from him and aimed at Hadi. Yet she recoiled and lowered the weapon as a tall wave pushed him into the water. "It's unnecessary. He is done. Take the woman and let's go."

Aziza cried with her head on the floor as she heard the news that the waters had taken her Hadi.

The baby sank into the darkness. Yet as he lost consciousness in depths, lights shined in the shadow. Curtains of faces surrounded the child and their bodies glowed. They were Spirits and as if they heard Aziza's prayer, they pulled the child from the waters and guided him to a shore.

A bright Sun of Summer obscured the Red Moon on the sky. A young woman with a skin as pale as snow prayed with a veil covering her arms so they would not tan.

"All I'm asking is for a child, come on!" She kneeled before the shape of a triangular shield with a cross carved in the middle. It wasn't supposed to be hard! The peasants have so many!"

"Duchess, you've done this so many times." Remarked a peasant dressed in black. The years of hard work had carved wrinkles on her face. "Can't we just go back to the castello? There are spirits here."

"The Guardian will hear me! 12th time's the charm!" She insisted.

"I'm sorry, Duchess Livia, I have to go. I can't burn the food."

"Whatever, I don't need you anyway!" Insisted Livia with both hands wrapped together. She noticed her servant's silence and searched her surroundings. "And now that I'm finally alone and there is no one to judge me," she walked away from the forest and reached the beach. A couple spirits roamed around a starfish laying upon the sand.

"Ciao!" Shouted Livia at the creatures, excited.

The spirits flew away to hide behind the rocks. Even the starfish somehow dragged its body faster to get away from Livia:

"I'm feeling so profane for asking you something, but..." she she followed the spirits. "Can you give me a child? People are starting to say _things_ about my husband."

The Spirits hid beneath stones and she uncovered them.

"Please?" Finished Livia. "I'll do anything-"

She heard a cry echoing from behind her.

"What?"

A baby with an appearance exotic for her land slept in a basket. Livia's eyes filled with light as she saw the summer's sunlight engulfing him.

"Yes! Yes!" She rose the child from the basket. "It's perfect, thank you guys," she glanced at the spirits and they stared at each other, confused. "I don't think this will solve the problem, but who am I to judge? He's adorable and so quiet!" exclaimed Livia as she hugged him tight. "He even came with a cute..."

She frowned upon the language of the Caliphate written on his neck. Livia gritted her teeth and wrapped her hand around the necklace to snatch it away but his cold neck repelled her hand.

"Wait, are you sick?" Livia recoiled in despair. "Don't worry, boy, keep calm! Giulia will take good care of you! And I'll call you..." she smiled with tender in her eyes as she rose him towards the Sun. "Verano."

 _ **Avatar: the Wild Lands**_

 _._

 _Map of the Wild Lands for reference._


	2. I - Family

"This is so, _so_ boring!" Groans a chubby child resting his head onto a tall pile of reading exercises as if they were a pillow."

"Stop being so lazy, Arnaud!" interrupted a young by his side. She was around ten years old. "Reading is important! That's what Cleric Seneca said!"

She pointed her finger towards a man with a bowl haircut sleeping by the side of the room.

"Marzia, if this were so important, Father Seneca would be here teaching us how to write and not taking a nap." Replied Arnaud looking aside while holding the chin with his right hand. He looked around the stone castle's cozy mead hall where they studied. The light of a scorching fire pit painted the walls of orange and yellow.

"Taking a nap?" Recoiled Marzia. "He's not taking a nap, you dimwit! He's meditating," She explained. "He's listening to the _Song of the Winds_ so that he knows all that is going in the world and its people-"

The cleric snored loud.

"I guess the _wind_ must not have anything interesting to say today..." Said a boy with hair black as coal and a fine olive skin. "And I'm done!" He stood up.

"Verano? Already?" Recoiled Marzia reading his copies. His pen's paint dyed pages of the papyrus black. "How?"

"With hard work, effort and plenty of patience-"

"Wait," interrupted Arnaud. "Is this my handwriting that I'm seeing on this sheet, Verano?"

"Anyways," Verano smiled smugly. "You guys wanna play?"

"Yeah, let's do this!" Followed Arnaud as he stood up. He swung his hands and sweat rained off them and fell into Marzia's face.

"Keep it off!" She recoiled. "And where you think you guys are going? Seneca said 30 copies of _Seneca's Reflection on Nature through the Senecal Method of Seneticism in Senicum's Continuum_. Verano's only done 28," she glanced at Arnaud who still swung the sweat off his hand. "And you Mr. Water Hands have only done 2!"

"Oh, come with us, Marzia," smiled Verano as he rolled his eyes. "It'll be fun..."

"Hey, Verano!" Shouted Arnaud. "I think _dad_ forgot to close the door to the basement! Let's go check it out!"

Verano scratched his head as he stared into Marzia's eyes:

"And I think Arnaud will do something crazy if you are not there, honestly."

"Yeah, you're right," resigned Marzia banging her pen against the table and standing up. "You come back here, Arnaud! Don't you dare go down there!"

Verano followed them yet a sight shackled his legs. Moonlight breached through the ceiling and lightened the old painting of the House De Sforza on the wall. The Duke De Sforza, Arnaud, appeared by the side of the Duchess Livia and beneath them were the diligent Marzia and the chubby Arnaud Jr. Those two were Verano's siblings. Yet the boy missed his own character in the image. He frowned as he knew that the bloodline that united those four in the picture was like a thin glass through which Verano could never go through.

"Arnaud, it's dark there, you're gonna slip!"

"Oh, come on, Marzia! I'm not stupid-"

Arnaud stumbled and rolled down the stairs to the basement like a ball.

"Damn it, Arnaud!" Snorted Marzia running after him. "Be careful!" She turned her neck around as she tried to lift him off the ground. "Verano, help me!"

"Argh, my head hurts..." Bemoaned Arnaud.

"I'm coming!" Yelled Verano running towards the basement.

"Don't worry, Verano is coming and he'll apply a medicine on your-"

Verano stumbled upon the stairway and rolled onto them.

"Argh!" Bemoaned Marzia falling onto Arnaud. The three siblings became like a pile of bodies. "You guys gotta definitely look where you walk!"

"I'm sorry, but I did-" Faltered Verano. "It's those steps that are like half our feet. We don't have tiny feet like yours-"

"Silent, you guys!" Exclaimed Arnaud dragging himself out of the pile of bodies. He forgot his wound all of a sudden. The light of a torch bounced off a piece of armory and colored his eyes. "Look at that! It's dad's armor! Did he fight the Northmen in those?"

"We really shouldn't be here, Arnaud..." Remarked Marzia crossing her trembling arms. She imagined her father coming out of the darkness at any moment. "We should be studying with Father Seneca, not here."

"Calm down," said Verano touching her shoulder. "It's gonna be alright, okay? I think dad's sleeping."

"Okay." She frowned.

"Hey, Verano," Arnaud rose his voice as he pulled a sword from the wall. "Check this out, it's so heavy-"

Yet Verano only had eyes for a map covering a wall in the basement. His irises did not move from the figure as if the image enchanted him.

"Hey, Marzia..." Faltered Verano pointing at the image. "Where are we?"

.

"And that's why reading is important..." She walked by his side and pointed at the tiny red peninsula to the west of Heaven's Shrine. "We're here, in the Duchy of Sforza," she moves her hand a couple fingers to the north. "And this is Aarchen, where our sovereign King Heinrich lives. Mother says I'll marry him someday."

"It felt so distant when we went there to see him get the crown, but..." Verano frowned. "We barely even moved."

"The world is huge. Some travelers say it's even larger than that."

"I want to see it all one day." Says Verano. "But I think I'll have to be 100 years old for that."

"More." Smiled Marzia. "I say 200."

"Die, Kamaritan!" Shouted Arnaud running with his father's swords over his shoulder to attack Verano.

"Argh!" Moaned Verano throwing himself against the ground as the blade sliced the map. A fragment of the image fell and slid against the ground like a feather.

"Oh no, dad's gonna kill us!" Marzia rose her voice. "You stupid hollow head, Arnaud!" She pummeled her younger brother's head like drums. "How could you've done that?"

"O-O-Ouch, stop, Marzia!"

An imperious voice echoed across the room:

"Who did this?" Asked a tall man who missed the left eye. He had the slice of the map on his left hand. He was their father, Duke Arnaud De Sforza, the Scorpion-Knight.

Arnaud, Marzia and Verano stood in line. Neither dared to answer.

"I'll ask again," he took a loud stop ahead. Smoke left off his reddened hands as if his rage fueled the heat. "Who did this?"

Silenced answered him. Arnaud and Verano sweated in fear while Marzia trembled.

The man approached the girl.

"Was it you, Marzia?"

"No, dad, I-"

"Look at me in the eyes."

"I-I was against it all, dad. I told them that we should've stayed studying with Father Seneca."

"I believe you," said the Duke walking towards Arnaud Jr. "Was it you?"

Tears rolled down the boy's cheek. He sniffed loud.

"Answer!" Insisted the Duke.

"No, it wasn't-"

"Look at me in the eyes when you talk!" Ordered the Duke. "Was it you who got in here?"

Arnaud Jr sobbed loud as he rose his head to face his father. He noticed a flame burned in the Duke's right hand. That fire belonged to the culprit.

"It was, it was..." hesitated Arnaud. "It was-"

"Me!" Verano rose his voice.

"No!" Recoiled Marzia.

"It was me, dad," Verano swallowed dry. "We were copying the teacher's book to learn how to read. He fell asleep and I left the table to come play. Marzia and Arnaud just followed me. I-I-It's my fault, dad."

"Arnaud," the Duke rose his voice as he faced his crying son. "Is that right?"

Marzia intervened:

"It's not! Verano did no wrong! Tell him, Arnaud," she glanced at her younger brother. A mask of tears covered his face. "Tell him what happened."

"S-S-She is..." Arnaud resisted. His intestines wrapped in fear.

Marzia snorted:

"Arnaud!"

"She's right, dad! I've done it all! I saw the door open and I got in."

The Duke nodded and narrowed his eye once again at Verano.

"And you," he frowned with the flame still burning in his right hand. "Why did you lie to me?"

"T-T-To protect..." Verano's lips trembled. "My _family_?"

"Give me your hand, Verano." Ordered the man.

Verano complied, looked aside and closed his eyes.

"Keep your eyes open. Look at me." Commanded the Duke. "You see this scar covering half of my face? It happened when I almost died to protect someone who would not, even in a million years, do the same for me."

The Duke touched Verano's hand with the scorching flame.

"Argh!" Screamed the boy as he tried to pull himself away as his limb burned.

"Do not sacrifice yourself for a coward," concluded the Duke. "Or you might just die like one, Verano."

The man pulled his hand away and walked out of the basement. Yet stopped as his left foot touched the first step of the stairway.

"Also," he glanced at his children. "You three have two minutes to leave and never again come back here unless I let you in."

Marzia nodded as she embraced Verano who cried in pain. The boy could not take his eyes off his father. The Duke's words had left a deeper mark in him than the flame ever could.


	3. II - Fires of Change

"A long time ago, when the first of us roamed the dark woods of Europa," spoke a short armored knight with a long beard. He had an axe on his back. "Four brothers had a disagreement when a spirit would not allow them to enter its woods."

Lines of young men and women around their 13s listened to him while standing on a dirt field. The tiny warrior continued:

"The first of the brothers cowered as soon as he saw the spirit. He ran to hide in the mountains to the west and founded the Kingdom of Badajoz. The second brother tried to negotiate with the spirit and failed. He flew to the east with a tail between the legs and founded the Tessalocracy of Helika. It's not surprising both societies are now being taken over by the Caliph's Kamaretans. But there was a third brother, our ancestor," the man smirked. "He dreamed of a world where he did not have to beg the spirits for anything. He laughed at the glowy thing, burned the forest down and built the feud of Aachen with his sons. Yet he was only happy when the same spirit came knocking at his door 40 years after to beg to pass through his lands. That's what Fire is about, children: the triumph of the desire that fuels our element-"

"What about the fourth brother, Uncle Mario?" Asked Arnaud Jr, who had grown older and taller. "You did not mention him."

Marzia stared at him with an angry scowl.

"Sorry," said Arnaud Jr as he scratched his head. "Just wanna preserve the continuity."

"He tried to befriend the spirit, Prince Arnaud." Answered Mario. "And he died a horrible death. So, as I was saying..." The man faltered. "Wait, what was I saying again? Porca miseria, my throat is dry from all these legends."

Duke Arnaud de Sforza watched the training from the balcony of his castle. He rose his voice:

"Verano, bring Mario some water."

Verano walked out of the shadows with a bucket embraced between the arms. His father's fire had left a painful scar on his right hand that ached whenever the man rose his voice.

"Here it is, Uncle." Said Verano with a morose hoarse voice.

"Thank you, kid." Whispered Mario leaning towards Verano's ears to whisper. "I know he's harsh on you," he glanced at the Duke watching from the balcony. "But he was a dad's _favorite_ just like you" Said Mario with a brief blink.

"Thank you, uncle." Chuckled Verano as he pulled away for the training to continue.

"So, as I was saying," Mario rose the water bowl and drained even the most concealed drop of water. The apprentices were aghast. The man shoved the water stains off his mouth and continued: "In the Wild Lands there are the savages that bend the Water, the savages that bend the Earth, the mystics who bend the Air; and the champions who bend the Fire, just like us. Difference is: you see a lot of air, earth and water around. Where's the fire?" He asked the students and they stared at him. "The fire is here," the man rested his right hand on his heart. "Beating strong."

"D-Doesn't it hurt?" Asked an apprentice.

"No, you idiota!" Replied Mario pummeling a cloud of fire over the boy's head. "It's a metaphor! The fire is _inside_ us. It does not matter neither who you are, nor where you are - if you're in the heat of the battlefield or in a hopeless pit - all you need is air in your lungs and desire. A powerful desire to achieve great things. Do you believe that? Do you have that in you?"

Verano sat on the edge of the dirt field. He listened to him as if Mario spoke to no one else. The image of the map in his father's basement did not leave his mind. He felt as if Mario's speech fueled his dream. Yet the other apprentices only stared at the man, skeptical.

"Man, when does this dwarf will start with the fire stuff?" Rustled a member of the crowd.

"Yeah, this is really boring-"

Verano threw a rock at his face.

"Ouch!" The apprentice turned towards his aggressor. "What was that for-"

"Pay attention, Enzo." Verano frowned and talked to himself. "You have no idea what I'd give to be where you are right now."

Mario continued his speech:

"You children are young and I've been your age too. Your only desire is the one of a monkey. You're basic creatures and I don't expect anyone here is willing to die in the name of the Grey Guardian or anything. So," he unsealed a container and a terrible stench escaped. "We'll use disgust and rage to fuel your fire. This is buffalo-bear's fresh dung."

Verano pulled back.

"Never mind," he rustled to himself. "I'm glad I can't bend. Dodged that arrow."

Mario laughed loud as the students struggled not to vomit with the smell.

"Yes, yes, be disgusted! Desire this thing burnt to ashes!" He rallied the students as six spider-monkeys surrounded him. "Do this," he breathed deep and freed the air as he punched the air. A blaze escaped his fist and dispersed into the air. "Or this!" He rose his tiny leg and a huge blade of flames thrusted into the clouds. "It doesn't matter! What we're training here is breathing and desire. Air in the lungs, goal in mind, go!"

His monkeys surrounded the container of dung.

"Cutie-cute little monkey, what you gonna do, huh?" Asked Arnaud Jr crossing his arms.

The animals replied with a smelly salvo.

"Argh!" The boy threw himself at the ground and the dung headed towards Marzia.

"Not me! Not me! Not me-" Marzia rose her arms. Two tiny blazes sprouted off her arms and melted the manure into ashes.

"That's a Sforza, that's what I'm talking about, hahaha!" Laughed Mario raising his axe towards the Duke and walking towards his niece. "Bravo, Marzia, now get outta there and go to the target practice field in the courtyard." His smile fell as he noticed she did not answer. "Marzia?"

She had her eyes closed and her heart had ceased to beat. She was cold like ice.

"Verano," Mario shoved the sweat off his forehead. "Take your sister there. She'll recover."

Verano nodded and walked her away as the training ensued.

"You did great," he told her as they walked to the courtyard. "I'm proud."

"Not me, not me, not..." She remained in shock.

"Marzia?"

"Oh, Verano?" She sighed in relief. "Did I survive?"

"Did you _survive_? You were amazing. Everyone was surprised. I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, you are so sweet." She smiled. Yet a thought weighed in her head. "It must be hard for you, right?"

"What?"

"Everyone in the court is bending. Soon they'll go as squires far away from here and return with plenty of stories. That's what you've always wanted to do, right?"

"Yes..." He frowned. "But I'm happy being the water boy."

"I've known you all my life, Verano de Sforza, I know you are not."

They walked into a yard where dummies stood. An armored guard allowed Marzia in and blocked Verano's pessage.

"I'm sorry, Prince," explained the guard. "You might hurt yourself there. Only benders allowed in the field."

"We'll talk later." Murmured Marzia as she disappeared in the training field.

Verano returned to the dirt to watch the students succeed at bending the flames one after the other. Those who did not discover their power through disgust became enraged with the stench and drew the fire from anger. They left the field with smiles that could have brightened even the most dung-covered body. Yet one apprentice remained on the field as the Sun laid on the water:

"Arnaud, what the hell! Come on!" Yelled Mario as he noticed the container had emptied. "At this rate even Verano there is gonna be bending fire before you."

Even the monkeys laughed.

"Maybe I don't have that in me, you know? Some people don't." Arnaud Jr frowned as he rose himself from the dung. He grew accustomed to the smell. "Maybe I should just go bath and give up."

"You won't." Interrupted the Duke de Sforza. "It doesn't shame me that you've failed so far, but I'll disown you the moment you walk out of this dirt field."

"This is too rough, brother! He's just a boy-"

"He's fat and lazy," remarked the Duke. "Look at him! He's gasping just for lifting his legs. How will he bend fire like this-"

"Enough!" Shouted Mario. "I know what you're trying to do but it won't work. Maybe he's right, Arnaud," he spoke his brother's real name. "Maybe your heir doesn't have it in him. You'll have to accept that."

"Walk away from the field, Mario. I'll do this."

The man frowned and complied. The Duke rose his right hand an intense flame sprung off his arm.

"D-D-Dad?" Recoiled Arnaud Jr, trembling.

"The unstoppable will of achieving one's goals is what fuels the Fire of the Fire Knight. It is the desire that keep the raiders off our shores, the Kamaretans off our borders and the Spirits out of our sights..."

"Stop!" Shouted Verano. He knew that the fire that burned on his father's hand was much more intense than the one that left a mark on his right hand. "Leave him alone!"

The Duke ignored him and continued:

"If it is not for desire to do not embarrass me and yourself," he glanced at the multitudes of guards who gathered around the field. "I'll scare the fire out of you. Tre!"

He rose his voice and tears sprung off Arnaud's eyes. He mauled his fists in the air yet nothing happened.

"Due..." Counted the Duke.

Arnaud gritted his teeth and trembled. His body lost motion as the fire burned on the Duke's hand. He panicked.

"Un!"

A massive bolt of fire crossed the air and burned the Duke Arnaud's back. The man turned around and saw Verano gasping with his fist raised at the man and tears drizzling down his cheek.

"You won't..." He gasped. "Touch my family."

"D-Did Verano just bend fire?" Gossiped the observers. "Is that even possible? He looks eastern. Like a Kamaretan."

"I can't believe what I'm seeing," remarked Mario. "Is this a miracle? Should we call the bishop?"

A crowd amassed of soldiers, peasants and nobles around the dirt field.

"V-Verano?" Asked Marzia with a hand covering her mouth.

The crowd gossiped:

"This boy is a firebender! Verano's a firebender!"

Verano and Duke Arnaud narrowed their eyes at each other in disregard to the masses. Arnaud Jr faced his brother from beneath their father's shoulder.

"Thank you." Sobbed Arnaud Jr.

The Duke blocked the sight of a grate Arnaud Jr. He walked towards Verano without uttering a word.

"Brother, stop!" Yelled Mario. "He wanted to protect his sibling. That blaze was sincere and powerful. He did not mean to harm you, only save Arnaud!"

The Duke approached Verano and the boy fell on his backs. All his energy was gone. The man directed his fists towards the boy.

"Stand up," the Duke opened his hand. "You're my son."

The crowd moved in enthusiasm. They ran towards Verano and rose him from the ground for his feat. Questions rained upon the boy as the mob dragged him towards the town. Mario, Marzia and the Duke followed the crowd

Arnaud Jr watched as all the eyes of the Duchy of Sforza turned away from him and guided themselves towards Verano. Yet he did not feel envy, not relief. He felt shame.

 **Fragments of Lore**

 _The Wind in the Wild Lands speaks_. Every action, as tiny as it may be, generates a wind that very specialized Airbenders can read and translate. The Mute Scribes in the Monastery of Silence are a recluse group of airbending Monks who dedicate themselves to writing the history of the Wild Lands on the Sacred Tomes of Silence. It's considered a grave sin punished by excommunication to attempt to steal or read their writings.


	4. III - The Voice in the Wilds

"Verano, Verano!" shouted Marzia as she pushed open the gates to the castle's mead hall. She faced wall after wall of people standing and discussing. "Excuse me, excuse me," she slithered through the crowd. "Verano? Verano, are you there?"

"Here's for my nephew Verano, hahaha!" Laughed Mario raising a mug. "I'm such a great trainer that even a desert boy will leave bending fire!"

"Sorry to interrupt," bowed Marzia as she touched Verano's shoulder and leaned in to whisper at his ears. Her hands trembled. "Verano, something horrible just happened. I need you to come with me."

"Excuse me, Uncle Mario." Said Verano standing up from the mead hall's table.

"See you, kid!"

Marzia pulled Verano behind a pillar.

"I can't find Arnaud anywhere," she said. "He's been missing ever since everyone left the dirt field."

"You've really checked his bedroom, the kitchen; anywhere Arnaud likes being around?"

"Yes, everywhere. No sign of him. But a watch guard said that he saw a boy running into the Hanged Doll's Woods. Thought it was a peasant."

"Damn it, I should've talked to him." Snorted Verano tightening his fists. "I got carried on with the emotion of bending. He must have felt horrible.

"Should we talk to our dad?"

"Not yet, let's look for him. If dad finds out what happened, the forest will seem nice compared to what he's gonna do to Arnaud."

"I agree." She frowned. "I hope it's not too late."

"Hey, don't worry, Arnaud has too much weight to carry." Verano rubbed his belly. "He's probably not far. We'll find him, alright?"

She lifted her scowl and joined him in his optimism:

"Let's go!"

Marzia and Verano walked through the hallways of the castle and searched a way outside.

Yet a voice echoed from the Duke's chambers and robbed the boy of his attention.

"The news travelled fast that an adopted son of obvious eastern traits bended fire. Is that right?" Spoke a young man wearing holy vests. He had a bowl haircut. "The bishop is curious. This event is unheard of."

"Maybe he had a firebender as a parent?" Replied the Duke without much interest. He bathed in cold water to heal from the burn wound from Verano's attack. "Duchess Livia never told me much about how she found him. Being eccentric as she is, I've always thought he had been kidnapped."

"May I request an immediate audience with your wife then, Duke de Sforza?"

"Not in a million years. If the Bishop is so interested in my son, he will have to come personally. I do not talk to mailboys."

"Sir, I'm legate of the Church of Heaven's Shrine. I've never met with such disrespect-"

Verano wondered if both men talked about him and old doubts about his past in his heart. He ceased to move.

"Come, Verano, I got the door open!" Called Marzia. "What you waiting for?"

"A-Alright!" Said Verano swinging his head and following his sister.

Both siblings left the castle and ran towards the woods. An eerie breeze crawled from the sea and sprung into the forests as if the wilds invited them in.

"Let's go in?" Asked Marzia as she noticed her brother faltered.

"I'm-" He blushed. "I'm a bit scared of the dark."

"I'll..." Marzia opened and closed her right hand until a flame appeared. "I'll have this."

"Better not. Spirits will think we came to burn their forest. It'll be worse," faltered Verano. "I hate places like this.

"We'll go together," smiled Marzia holding his hand. "I'll keep you safe, alright?"

"Alright."

They wandered in the wilderness together.

"Arnaud!" Yelled Verano as he roamed the wild. His eyes roamed his surroundings without resting. "Arnaud?"

His voice roamed the forest without answer. They had to go deeper.

"I'm starting to lose the direction from which we came from..."

"Marzia, please don't say things like that..." Faltered Verano swallowing dry and crossing his arms as he searched his surroundings.

"Never thought I'd see you scared of anything. Generally _I_ _am_ the nerve-wreck-"

They heard Arnaud's voice:

"Verano! Marzia! Here!"

"You heard that?" Recoiled Marzia pointing at the horizon. "It came from over there. Let's go, Verano!"

They walked into a dark swamp. A thin veil of mist hovered over the ground.

"Arnaud, are you around here?" Asked Verano.

"Verano? Is that you? I'm here!" Replied the boy. He was inside a dark pit. A white mantle of webs surrounded him.

"Thank Heavens we found you!" Sighed Marzia with a hand on her heart as she rushed to save him. "Come on, let me take you outta there-"

Her leg was stuck. She could not move.

"W-What is this?" Asked Marzia as she struggled to set herself free. A carpet of spider webs paved the swamp. "Verano, stay away from us!"

Verano waited by the edge of the place and searched for a way to see them free.

"Damn it, this looks like a Spider-Bettle's nest..." Faltered Marzia looking around. "Why didn't you tell us about the webs before, Arnaud? When you were calling for our help?"

"B-But I never called you!" Arnaud Jr frowned.

"Then who did?"

Verano pulled a knife out of his vests.

"Catch it, Marzia!"

She picked the blade and freed her feet. She walked to Arnaud Jr's cocoon to cut through the webs with the blade.

"T-This is all my fault, I know," sobbed Arnaud Jr. "I'm always causing trouble and you guys always suffer for it. I thought that maybe if I went into the woods and felt like my life were on stake, something could happen. All I did was falling in a pit and dragging you guys with me. Like always…" He ranted. "Even Verano can bend. I'm always the useless one."

"Don't worry, Arnaud." Verano narrowed his eyes at him and Marzia as she still tried to free the boy. "It could be much worse-"

"Behind you, Verano!" Shouted Arnaud. A pair of red eyes hovered over his brother.

A spider-bettle descended from the trees and thrusted its mouth against Verano's back.

"Get down, Verano!" Yelled Marzia as she kicked the air and a blaze flew against the monster's eyes.

Verano rolled away and the disoriented spider-beetle dove its jaw against the ground.

"Nice kick..." Gasped the boy while glancing at Marzia.

She had a hand on her heart as if the flame had exhausted her.

Her fire had turned the spider-beetle into a moving torch. Yet the creature walked towards them without showing any sign of pain.

"H-How is it not dead?" Asked Verano taking the blade from his sister and hurrying to free Arnaud.

"These spider-beetles are used to Firebending, argh-" Explained Marzia falling on her knees. She breathed heavy. The fire had exhausted her. "We've hunted them so much that a couple lineages with fireproof shells multiplied."

"This is too thick, this sword might break before the web." Verano gritted his teeth as he thrusted his blade and pummeled fire into the webs wrapped around Arnaud. He grew desperate.

The flame's around the spider-beetle faded and the animal tackled the group.

"Quick, get-" Faltered Arnaud Jr. He swallowed his fears as he saw the creature's ominous presence about to trample his family. "Get away, you guys! This is all my fault and you don't have to suffer for that!"

Verano ignored him and faced the advancing monster.

"Marzia, try cutting Arnaud free and prepare a flame." He ordered.

"Fire won't hurt the spider, I told you-"

"Don't fire at him." He glanced at her. "Fire at the sky."

"I get it." She recoiled.

The spider-bettle tackled Verano. The boy jumped and thrusted both legs and arms downwards in the hopes that a flame would propulse his jump. Yet he faltered as the stench of the death from the approaching creature filled his ears and the monster eerie eyes stared into his soul. He lacked the experience to break through the shackles of fear. The moster's horn mauled his chest and sent him diving against the ground.

"I got it!" Yelled Marzia cutting Arnaud free. "Run, Arnaud, run!"

She turned around to assist Verano who could not move. He laid down with a hand on his ribs as the spider-bettle prepared to sink its teeth in his flesh.

"Here!" She threw a fire jab against the creature.

The monster turned around and rose an arm to send Marzia flying against a tree. She mauled her chest against a tree trunk and rolled down unconscious.

"Marzia!" Shouted Verano. He still saw Arnaud from the corner of his eyes. "What're you still doing here? Go away, Arnaud, argh-" He fought the pain to stand up and throw a rock at the creature that approached his sister. "Fight me-"

The spider-beetle pulled the web littering the ground and the earth beneath Verano shook. He fell and once more the webs captured his body.

"I can't..." Arnaud faltered. Tears rolled down his cheek. "I-I can't just run away..."

"This is disgusting-" Groaned Verano as the spider-beetle pulled the web and dragged him to its mouth. He contorted himself and threw blazes at the monster. "It's not working!" Verano gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes at Arnaud Jr. "Arnaud, don't just watch! Get away from here!"

"All I need is air in my lungs and a desire in my mind..." Arnaud whispered the words from Mario to himself. "Enough!" He shouted as he ran towards the monster. "I'm not a lazy slob! I'm don't wanna be a pushover! I am a _warrior_!"

"No, Arnaud, get away!" Shouted Verano.

Arnaud breathed a wall of fire against the spider-beetle. The flames spread through the forest and devoured trees and branches. Wood rained on the inflamed monster.

The fire consumed the webs imprisoning Verano.

"Yes, Arnaud, keep going!" He yelled as he rescued Marzia. "Come on, let's get way!"

"One moment..." Arnaud fell on the floor and gasped. "I need air. Air!"

"There is only smoke here-" Verano coughed. "Let's get out!"

They ran from the spider-beetle's swamp as if the earth burned. Marzia was unconscious above Verano's shoulders.

"I think..." Faltered Verano as he found a hollow tree trunk far away from the swamp. He gasped loud. "I think it's safe here."

Arnaud threw himself on the ground and let the air fill his lungs.

"Oh, yeah, definitely!"

"Marzia's too heavy. What's she been eating?"

Her eyes opened.

"Am I what?"

Arnaud replied:

"An uptight bore."

Both brothers chuckled.

"D-Did I miss something? My chest hurts so much..." She laid the right hand on her ribs. "Why you two laughing? What did I miss?"

"It's Arnaud, sis," smiled Verano. "He's awesome."

"That's a bit too much..." Arnaud rolled his eyes. "I'd say _much above average_."

A voice spoke without sound:

"You three are not done playing with me yet."

Verano and Arnaud sprung off the ground. They searched their surroundings.

"Did you two hear that?" Asked Arnaud. "Is it-"

"The Hanged Doll. The Spirit that rules these woods. Don't let your guard down!" Ordered Marzia as she stood up and joined them.

Smoke escaped through the trees' crowns far away. Strings emerged from the leaves and pulled the spider-bettle like a puppet.

"You three are so much fun," the voice spoke again. "Specially you, Old Spirit."

"Old Spirit?" Faltered Verano.

"It's coming our way!" Shouted Marzia. "Too fast for us to run!"

Verano took a step ahead.

"We stay and fight," he rose his fists. "It's the only way."

The spider-bettle's steps shook the earth. The creature sprung at the three siblings yet a blaze in the shape of a blade's tip impaled the animal.

"F-Father?" Asked Arnaud Jr turning around to see his father in full armor and mounted on Scheherazade, his lion-lizard. A blade weighed in his right hand.

 **Fragments of Lore**

 _Feudalism_ is a system where the plebs (those who can't bend) trade their workforce to the Firebending Knights in exchange of land and protection from the Northmen and the Spirits of the Wild. Trade is uncommon in the Wild Lands and the roads are perilous with spirits constantly on the move. Most of the population is confined to their fiefs and know little about the outside world.


	5. IV - A Love that Cannot Be

**Fragments of Lore**

 _The Empire of the Holy Flame is living a tense interregnum_. After the death of former Holy Emperor Lettow by the hands of the Caliph of Camarilla, the four Elector-Princes (the sovereigns of the Kingdoms of Aarchen, Badajoz, Litvia and Alba) have failed to nominate a new Emperor. **The Kingdom of Alba** is struggling to survive against the endless attacks of the Waterbending Northmen trying to reconquer their lost territory. **The Kingdom of Badajoz** , whose last living heir is a bratty 14 years old girl, fears the foothold that the Kamaritans have conquered in their land and knows they'll be the first to fall should a new Emperor wage war against the Caliphate. **The Kingdom of Litvia** , a former tribe of Northmen who were converted by the Church of Heaven's Shrine and joined the Empire, is unwilling to sacrifice their kin for the glory of a foreign emperor. Meanwhile the young _King Heinrich_ of the **Kingdom of Aarchen** dreams of becoming Emperor, expelling the Kamaritans off the continent and becoming immortalized as the _Savior of Europa._

* * *

"Verano, look out!" Shouted Arnaud Jr with both hands around his lips. His brother faced a stampeding buffalo-bear. The animal ran through purple vineyard to tackle Verano in the chest.

"Yeah, he won't survive this one..." Smirked a peasant crossing his arms. "Prince Arnaud, start looking for the coins for my payout."

A mob watched the scene like a spectacle. Young damsels in colorful dresses observed with hands covering their mouths.

"Time to try this again..." Verano ran against the animal and jumped. He thrusted his legs and fists downwards. Blazes left each of his limps and propelled him over the animal. "I got it, Arnaud!" Said Verano as he grasped the animal's fur with both arms. "Woah-"

The animal contorted to shake the boy off its back.

"5 seconds, brother!" Counted Arnaud. "5 seconds and we get a new record-"

The buffalo-bear rose its backs and threw Verano off its backs. His body fell onto Arnaud and they both hit the dirt.

"Nice try, Prince Arnaud!" Said a young man taking a purse of coins from the ground. "Your bad luck never fails. Hahaha!"

The crowd dispersed away from the vineyard.

"Sorry, Arnaud," frowned Verano pulling his body away from his brother's. "You needed that gold, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but not for what you're thinking," faltered Arnaud. "You know what day is tomorrow, right, bro?"

"What is it?"

"Your 17th birthday!" Exclaimed Arnaud arching his left arm his brother. "You're a man now and I just wanted to us to celebrate like men, you know? You'd to the same for me."

"Right…" Grinned Verano glancing at the animal that almost crushed him. "I would."

"But now the coins are all gone..." Bemoaned Arnaud shoving the mud off his vests. "I keep messing everything, I'm a disastro."

The voices of three females echoed across the vineyard:

"Poor little princes!"

"What?" Recoiled Verano.

"Look at you! So brave for facing a strong animal," said two young damsel in red and blue dresses while embracing the boy's arms.

"And you, Prince Arnaud?" Asked the third woman rubbing the tip of a finger over his chest. "Such a brave and caring fraternal heart. Not many men have those."

"Yeah..." Blushed Arnaud. "The hardest part was watching him face so much danger What a relief that my brother is fine-."

"Hey, you three!" Yelled Marzia at the three ladies. Her cheeks had colored, her long curly hair had gained luster with the time and her beauty of a lady of the Middle Sea showed despite her attempts to hide. She had blossomed. "These two are virtuous penitent princes of the highest esteem and they won't fall for your plots, you skanks!"

"Argh, whatever." Sighed the lands strolling away from them.

"Wait, wait, I wanna fall for a plot or two!" Bargained Arnaud Jr with his arm stretched as the ladies disappeared from his reach. "Damn it, Marzia, why do you always gotta ruin the fun?"

"We have an important visit tonight," she replied. "And you two look like you went wrestling with pig-skunks again. Go take a bath!"

She pushed their backs towards the castello in the horizon.

The leaves of the vineyards danced as the wind from the nearby coast breezed through the coast.

"Wait, Marzia," faltered Verano. "Who is visiting?"

Bells ringed from all the land's towers. The floor trembled with steps.

"7 ballads..." Faltered Verano. "That means-"

"It's him, it's him!" Yelled peasants running from outside the vineyard. "The King of Aarchen is here!"

Verano, Marzia and Arnaud Jr approached the sun-basked roads of the Duchy to find a column of red mantles marching over the streets. Young faces smiled and rose the banners of their clans. Yet the flags of King Heinrich of Aarchen hanged above all else.

"The red salmon mantkes..." Remarked Arnaud with his eyes brightening.

"It's the symbol of Aarchen." Explained Marzia. "Come, dad will need us in the castello and Giulia needs you two in the bath!"

"Anything you ask, _mom_..." Smiled Verano as the girl pushed her brothers back into their home.

Duke Arnaud de Sforza watched the troops march from his balcony as he drank wine. Mario stood by his side.

"They are all so young, brother," frowned Mario. "You're the King's Marshall. Any idea about why King Heinrich is raising such young soldiers?"

"A couple days in the north will be enough for them to age years," the Duke frowned. "I predict more children will be thrown away to protect a kingdom that cannot even stand on its own legs."

"Is that Alba that you're talking about?" Faltered Mario. He referred to the half of rainy island that the former Emperor of the Holy Flame had conquered to punish the Northmen sea raiders sacking the Empire's shore. "Wasn't there where you got your scar?"

The Duke looked away and left his balcony. He walked through the hallways of his castle and the voice of Duchess Livia echoed across the building.

"Everything has to be _perfect_!" She said with enthusiasm. "The tables, the dishes, the food, _Marzia_ , everything! He'll come to dine with us!"

Verano listened to his mother's remarks as he approached the bath. He entered the warm water and reflected upon his relationship with Marzia. She knew him better than he did himself. The thought of watching her marry a man whom she barely knew tightened his heart.

"Verano, brother?" Asked Arnaud approaching his brother's bath. He noticed the firewood warming the bathtub was long gone. "Are you alright there? We're late already."

"Yeah…" He swung his head hoping the thought of Marzia would fall off his mind. "Let's go."

They walked towards the mead hall and noticed that red poppies from the west littered the ground.

"Gift from the King, isn't he perfect?" Asked Duchess Livia as she faced her sons. "He's young, faithful, strong and has respect for our lineage! I do _hope_ he's come to propose to Marzia!"

The woman smiled like a child. Yet her daughter looked as if she witnessed a burial. Verano frowned as he wondered what roamed in his sister's head.

"Hey, kids," Duchess Livia rose her voice. "Don't you dare to show scowls to the King of Aarchen and future Emperor of the Fire Peoples. He'll come at any time-"

"That's a precise assessment," Replied a youthful self-assertive voice from the gates of the mead hall. A tall man with long blonde hair and eyes bright as the sea in a sunny day walked towards his seat. A curtain of eyes rose to face him yet he himself only laid sights on Marzia. "I came, I saw," he pulled a rose and gently threw the flower at the girl. "And I liked." He glanced at Duchess Livia. Specially with an older sister like this."

Duchess Livia passed out on her seat with her cheeks reddened like strawberries.

"H-Have I said something wrong?" Asked Heinrich.

"Maybe." Remarked Verano as he noticed that Marzia retreated and felt uncomfortable ahead of the king's advances.

"And who are you, mister…" the King stared at Verano from feet to head. The talisman with words written in the eastern Kamaritan language bothered him. A mask of disgust covered his face. "Mister who does not salute?"

Duchess Livia whispered for only Verano to hear:

"Bow! Now!"

Verano sighed in disgust and made a reverence to the King so that he would not shame his mother.

"He's Verano de Sforza, sir," Marzia rose her voice. "Pardon his manners. You must've heard of him."

"The desert child who could bend fire?" Asked Heinrich. "I'm impressed. I hope we can forget this awkward introduction and build a prosperous relationship for the future. I'd hate to have you as an enemy of my future empire."

Duke Arnaud hit his bottle of wine with a spoon. All eyes turned towards him.

"May you inform the topic of this meeting, your majesty?" Asked the Duke without much interest.

"As a man of your intelligence and martial experience could see, I've been rallying a host among my vassals. Young soldiers who need experience and are thirsty for adventures." He explained as he drank from a plate of soup. "I'm planning an expedition to the island of Alba in order to assist the Kingdom in the protection of the Penitents from the vicious Northmen barbarians."

"In other words, you're sending _more_ men to fight Waterbenders over a worthless rainy island in the north so that the King of Alba becomes dependent on our troops and votes you as the new emperor?

"And this is why I've made you my Marshall, Lord de Sforza," smiled Heinrich. "Even at a dinner table, you think like a strategist."

"I don't understand," faltered Arnaud. "Why does King Heinrich needs the approval of someone else to be Emperor? He's awesome already."

"Arnaud!" Marzia groaned. "You'll be the Duke someday! You should really look more into politics! The Empire of the Holy Flame is a huge union between four Elector-Princes, many duchies and countless baronies of Fire Knights. For a Knight to become Emperor, he needs the majority of votes among the four elector kingdoms: Alba, Aachen, Badajoz and Litvia. But that hasn't happened yet ever since Emperor Lettow died. Every kingdom is now too busy with their own problems to crow an Emperor."

"Your daughter sure is smart, Duchess Livia," commented Heinrich flashing a smile towards Marzia. She looked away in discomfort. "But I'm afraid you are all seeing this situation through cynical glasses." He cleaned his mouth and prepared to speak: "My grandfather was Emperor Lettow himself and he fought for our people until his last breath. Once he died, it was up to us, his descendants, to keep his flame alive. And this is what this campaign is about," Heinrich glances at Verano and Arnaud. "We'll travel to the north, meet many allies on the way, repel the disorganized and weak Waterbending hordes, give peace to our Penitent brothers in Alba and be back home before the first snow. This will be a rite of passage and a chance of training and discovery like no other. So," he narrowed his eyes at both brothers with even greater intensity. "Would you like to join in your first grand adventure?"

"Yes, of course, your majesty!" Arnaud spoke with excitement. "How will we burn those eastern hordes if we can't even target practice with some Northmen savage? I'm all for it!" He crossed his arms and imitated the political speech from the Duke and his father.

"That's a fair argument, Prince Arnaud. You'll make a great Fire Knight someday."

"Thank you, your majesty; I don't deserve your most excellently magnanimous appreciation!"

Marzia glanced at Arnaud's blind admiration for the King.

"He sure will be a great knight." She sipped her drink.

Arnaud glanced at Verano and rose his voice:

"And you, brother? You've always wanted to get away from dad and live our own adventure. This is our chance!"

"I-I..." Verano faltered. He had his eyes aimed at Marzia.

"We'll travel through many lands," explained the King. "You two do not even _imagine_ the word that exists outside of this peninsula."

"I do want to see it all, but not without Mar…"

"No!" Shouted Marzia as she rose from her sit and mauled both hands at the table.

"There goes all my hopes and dreams…" Sobbed Duchess Livia as she covered her eyes.

Marzia continued:

"Verano and Arnaud are not going!"

She grasped her brothers' shoulders with all her strength. They could feel the warmth, power and sincerity in her gesture.

"Well, my bella of the south, there is no reason to rush with this decision," remarked King Heinrich as he stood from the table and cleaned his mouth with a towel. "My host departs by the dawn tomorrow. I'll leave you until then to decide and I do hope your perspectives are taken in consideration. You're Princess Marzia, right?"

She remained with her lips sealed. King Heinrich chuckled and saluted the Duke and Livia.

"Farewell and thank you for the most excellent hospitality."

He turned around and left the Castle along with a wall of armored guards.

Duchess Livia sprung off her sit as soon as he left her sights:

"Marzia, what was that?" Protested Duchess Marzia. "You may have ruined all your chances with King Heinrich!"

"Screw him!" Said Marzia running away from the mead hall.

"Wait, Marzia!" Faltered Verano as he followed her.

The Duchess frowned upon Arnaud Jr who just kept eating.

"You're not gonna do anything?"

"Me?" he filled himself with the Middle Sea's delicacies as if nothing had happened. "Why would I? Those two are like that," he referred to Verano and Marzia. "Give 10 minutes and he'll convince her that this was the best idea ever."

"You're just like your dad."

Uncle Mario leaned his head towards the Duke de Sforza:

"I thought the King's levies already occupied Alba. You're his Marshall, can you tell me why is he bringing in more troops there? What happened to the stationed troops? Is the situation with the water tribes really that bad?"

The Duke sipped his wine and grinned.

"If only you knew how bad things really were." He replied.

"Wait," Uncle Mario recoiled. "You say that and you're just letting your sons go?"

"I'm the Marshall and a Duke," He narrowed his eyes at Mario's. "If I don't put faith in my lord and send my sons in his campaign, who will?"

"Now I get why you drink so much." Sighed Mario sipping a bottle of wine.

Verano followed Marzia to the balcony of the castello. He followed the trail of tears that she left behind as she flew from the mead hall.

"Marzia?" Asked Verano pulling the curtain sealing the balcony. She faced the sunset of the Middle Sea.

"What?" She sobbed as the waves crashed down against the warm beach. The encampments from King Heinrich's host littered the wilderness and colored them red.

"You don't want me to go explore the north?" Faltered Verano. "But Marzia, that is what I've always wanted-"

"It's dangerous!"

"Everywhere is dangerous. And that's why they exist-" He pointed at the encampments. "So that one day our descendants will rest without fear that they'll wake up with savages on their doorsteps. You already know all that. What's wrong with you?"

"It's just-" She frowned, "I don't really have any friends. You and Arnaud are everything I have. Everyone else thinks I'm a bore, even my mother. She wants to marry me but can't find a poor soul who'll be interested after five minutes of talk."

"That's not true, you're awesome, Marzia. _Everyone_ would love someone like you..."

"Who is _everyone_?" She inquired.

"Well, the..." Verano blushed. "Well, uh..." He frowned. His heart tightened as he saw the Sun reflecting off Marzia's neck and lightening her nut-brown hairs. "Oh, yes, the King! King Heinrich seemed interested."

" _The King_?" She swung her head. "He's an egotistical dimwit. I don't like that type of person."

"So..." Verano frowned. "What's your type?"

She narrowed her eyes at him and replied:

"Shy, selfless, humble, silly..." Marzia wrapped her arms around his chest and spoke while she rested her head on his shoulder. "Naive. A bit vulnerable so I can help him once in a while."

Verano felt his heart and hers beating louder and faster like in a symphony. Yet he could not find words to say. The 17 years that they had lived together robbed him of his voice. She was his family and that was all that she could ever be. Yet the girl dared to tempt him. She embraced him tighter and confessed as tears weighed in her eyes:

"I love you."

The waves crashing against the beach and the Middle Sea's warm breeze lost sound. All that Verano heard was the melodious echo of Marzia's voice repeating those three words without silencing. His heart begged him to borrow his own voice to her words yet he knew that he could not.

"I can't." Resigned Verano clenching his fists.

"I know..." She gently pushed him away. "So you promise me that you'll write? And that you'll come back for me to see you again?"

"I promise." He replied as he looked aside. Verano wanted to promise her the world. His young idealistic mind dreamed of finding a paradise far away from everyone and fleeing there with Marzia. Yet all he could hope in reality was that he found someone whom he loved as much as he loved Marzia.

"I want you to have this..." Faltered the girl. She took a sheathed sword off the ground and pulled down the sheathe. The letters "MAV" were carved onto the metal. "It means Marzia, Arnaud and Verano," she explained. "I did not forget your birthday. I hope this servers you as an amulet."

"Thank you."

"So you're going tomorrow, aren't you?" She rested her elbows on the balcony.

"And I'll come back to you before the first snow. With Arnaud."

"I hope so," she said with a smile. "Or I'll personally go there to take you two stupidos back home."

The Sun his beneath the horizon and rose from the sea once again.

Arnaud Jr and Verano walked along with a column of young commoners to join King Heinrich's ranks. They wore the red mantle.

"So," smiled the young King as he faced his new soldiers. "You've accepted my offer. And you've even brought your own weapons."

"I brought way more than this." Replied Verano tightening his grip on the MAV (the sword)'s sheathe. He looked back to the Castello and saw his mother and Mario crying of pride; his father had his arms crossed and Marzia was not there. He searched for her with his sights and noticed that she was not there.

"Prince Verano," a guard walked to Verano and delivered him a piece of papyrus. "Princess Marzia told me to give you this. She felt emotionally undisposed to see you and your brother go away."

"Thanks..." Said Verano as he opened the papyrus and noticed that the map was the one that he, Verano and Marzia had found in father's basement many years ago. She painted an arrow over the Duchy of Sforza and a couple words hanged over the territory. _"Just so you'll never forget where your home is. Your beloved, Marzia._ "

"Ready to kick some waterbending ass, brother?" Asked Arnaud Jr arching his right arm around Verano's shoulder. "Wait, are you crying, Verano? Let the crying for the girls," he glanced at the damsels who drowned in tears as they watched both brothers leave the Duchy. "We're gonna fight. We gotta be strong!"

"It's nothing." Said Verano hiding the map in his sleeve. He faced the mountains separating the peninsula from the heart of the Wild Lands. "Stick by my side, okay, Arnaud?

"Always! We're in this together and no reason to worry. We'll be back before they miss us, you'll see-"

"Arnaud!" Duke Arnaud rose his voice at his heir and all eyes turned towards him, confused. "Don't get yourself killed too fast."

"Yes, father, of course!" Arnaud Jr bowed down and glanced at Verano. "That's his way to say that he loves me. I'm gonna cry now!"

Mario glanced at the Duke who frowned as his sons disappeared among the ranks of King Heinrich's host.

"You seem worried," remarked the trainer. "That's rare of you."

"They are too naive," asserted Duke Arnaud. "They're walking down the road to hell with smiles on their faces.


	6. V - When the Heart lies

**Fragments of Lore**

The Church of Heaven's Shrine educates and raises Airbenders until they reach 14 years of age. Then they must either become Monks or serve as Legates (assistants / messengers) for members of the Church all across the Wild Lands until they reach 20 years of age. Then they must decide between becoming Priests (Airbenders who preach Penitency and educate / convert the peoples of the Wild Lands) or Inquisitors (Airbenders specialized in capturing / exorcizing dark spirits, battling heresy and punishing the cult of spirits).

* * *

 _Alps of Trento, north tof the Duchy of Sforza._

"What happened in here? Avalance?" Asked Arnaud Jr as he walked across the ruins of a village with Verano by his side. Fresh smoke still left the ruins and infested the noses of the column of red-mantled warriors from Aarchen.

"I'd bet on an earthquake followed by an avalanche and then an episode of collective destructive mirth from the commoners." Said a pompous redhead young man fixing his glasses.

"We three know Arnaud and I don't know what _mirth_ means." Intervened Varano facing the strange redhead. He noticed the boy carried so many scrolls that they escaped through the holes in the bag on his backs. His skin was so pale and soft that he resembled a damsel of a high court. "You don't go out a lot, do you?"

"Forget it. Argh-" Shrugged the boy struggling against the weight of his baggage.

"Need help with that? Arnaud and I can..."

"I'm carrying enough weight already!" Protested Arnaud.

"Well," faltered Verano. " _I_ can help. What's your name?"

"Giovanni." He replied, blushing. "Giovanni de Sforza. You two are Princes Arnaud and Verano, if I'm correct. And no, thank you. I don't need help."

" _Sforza?_ Strange," faltered Verano with a hand on his chin. "I don't think I've ever seen you around. You're from south of the Duchy?"

"No. I was just a..." Giovanni fixed his glasses as he glanced at his scrolls. "Busy guy."

Verano frowned curious at the documents.

"And why would you bring a bunch of scribbles to a campaign?" He asked.

A vein jumped off the Giovanni's forehead. He snapped:

"What do you think you're calling scribbles, you ignorant-"

"Silence on the lines!" Shouted an imperious voice from ahead of the column. "On guard!"

All warriors in the column silenced themselves and watched their surroundings. All they heard were the cold winds from the gelid mountains surrounding the ruined village. Yet Verano seemed bothered. He leaned his head towards his brother:

"Are you hearing this, Arnaud?"

"Hearing what?" Faltered Arnaud. "Don't even start with your stupid bullcrap scares, Verano; it's not funny-"

"I'm not messing with you. It's a sound like an harp. Very distant-"

A lion-tigress roared at Verano's face. The creature's voice was so powerful that its breath knocked the boy on the ground.

"Your hearing is fixed, Prince Verano?" Chuckled King Heinrich petting his huge lion-tigress as he rode on her like a mount. "Pardon Lavine, she takes rules seriously."

"H-Hello, Lavine?" Faltered Verano raising his right hand and forming a fire on the shape of ball of wool.

The lion-tigress took a step ahead and attempted to catch the blazes from the boy's flame as if they were toys.

"I think she likes me," smiled Verano as Lavine licked him in the face.

"No," Heinrich frowned and pulled his mount away. "She doesn't."

"Lord Heinrich!" Shouted a bald man walking by the side of a large noble wearing a red coat. "I found the Baron and the commoners. They were locked in his castle."

"Thank you, Count Otto;" remarked Heinrich leaving Lavine's backs and walking towards the Baron. "May you inform us what has happened here, sir? I've come to recruit soldiers for a campaign in Alba, but there was no one to greet me..."

"Y-Y-Your majesty Heinrich?" Faltered the Baron. His body trembled. "It's so good to have you here!" He fell on his knees and kissed the King's feet.

"No need for this," ordered Heinrich stepping back. "Just tell us what happened. An avalanche?"

"Dark Spirit, sir." Replied the Baron.

"How many?"

"One. Only one, your majesty."

The soldiers recoiled and exchanged sights between them. Voices gossiped:

"One spirit did all this?"

Count Otto rose his voice at the column again:

"Silence on the lines!"

The Baron continued:

"It was horrible. For three days and three nights, the Spirit came and ravaged everything..."

"Why haven't you called an Inquisitor? I can't do anything against a Spirit."

"But he did call one." Said a man wearing a white coat and black armor signed with the emblem of the Church Heaven's Shrine. He walked with a casket hanging on his backs. "Monsieur Guillaume de Champagn at your service, sir."

"You won't bow before the King of Aarchen, Inquisitor?" Questioned the Baron.

"An Airbender bows only to the Grey Guardian and the Holy Emperor crowned to champion his cause." Replied Guillaume smirking at Heinrich in disdain. "And as far as I'm aware, neither stand in front of me."

"He's right..." Remarked King Heinrich glancing at the Baron. "But not for long. So, Inquisitor," he crossed his arms. "Tell me why you haven't done your job."

"This is not a simple exorcism of a spirit, your majesty. It's a hostage situation," he glanced at the Baron. "Explain to him."

"It's a Zigana, sir," the Baron frowned. "A Zigana came to the doors of my motte in a cold night. She asked to play music for our dinner in exchange of a night in the castle. I was merciful and allowed her in. And being a Zigana, she tricked us," he clenched his fists. "Her harp had no sound! And when I complained, the lady just busted a wave of air on my face and on my banquet! All the food was wasted and I expelled her from the castle for good measure. Then a spirit floated by and she started playing that damned harp! And guess what? The thing turned dark and started assaulting the village as the Zigana escaped. She left but the thing keeps coming back! And in the next day the thing took my daughter who sang innocently on her balcony!"

"You know where this Zigana is right now?" Asked the King.

"Yes, sir."

"Simple. Send a group of Fire Knights from one side and the Inquisitor from another. The Inquisitor takes care of the spirit while the Knights retrieve your daughter."

"We've tried..." Faltered the Baron. "While the Inquisitor fought the spirit, the Zigana dispersed within the mountain range. She then used her harp to call back the spirit once she hid again. We only have one person that can hear her song and is willing to endanger themselves here, your majesty," the Baron referred to Guillaume, the Inquisitor. "It's impossible to trace her with so few men."

"I have an army, that won't be a problem," said King Heinrich. "This will be a good exercise for them. Count Otto..."

"Yes, sir?" Replied the bald Count.

"Encamp our troops as to surround all the exits of the mountain range. Tell them to stay alert and attack if they spot a Zigana moving around the wilderness."

"What if they don't know what a Zigano is?"

"Then _teach_ them what a Zigano is..."

Arnaud turned his head away from the conversation and sighed in relief at Verano:

"Finally some rest!"

He laid on the snow and gasped.

"I do not like this," frowned Verano. "We're only hearing one side of the story. This girl might be killed without having done anything wrong. We gotta find her before anyone else."

"Good luck!" Said Arnaud closing his eyes as he made snow angels.

"Arnaud, take this seriously, please!"

"Brother, I even wanted to help and all, but..." Arnaud recoiled. "These valleys are so large that she could be anywhere and we are only two! And we don't even know what to look for!"

"We must look for a Zigana."

"Okay, then tell me what a Zigana is. In detail so we won't mix things up."

Verano looked aside and crossed his arms.

"Zigana, Zigana..." He faltered. "Father Seneca once talked about something like that."

"That's what I'm telling you! We are two idiots!"

"Zigana is part of the Zigans tribe..." Replied Giovanni who mounted a tent while Verano and Arnaud talked. "They descend from a gang of young clerics who mixed water in the yearly wine offering that the Church of Heaven's Shrine does to the Grey Guardian. Legend says they got found out and expelled from the Church. And then a bunch of spirits in the shape of foxes possessed them and to this day, they have tails and ears of foxes..."

"So Ziganos have ears of foxes? You seem quite smart, Giovanni." Commented Verano as he watched the boy mount the tent with the ease of someone who breathed.

"Thank you, Prince," smiled Giovanni. "Ziganos often live at the margin of society and are associated with crimes and plagues. They can't own land but they know how to bend air, so they are not defenseless. Some play air instruments like flutes and harps to live, like the one that kidnapped this Baron's daughter. I'd love to see how this machine works in person..."

"Harp?" Recoiled Verano. "Could be that the harp song that I was hearing is coming from the Zigana?"

"That would be impossible. Only spirits and those with the potential of Airbending can hear these instruments. The music that they play can only be spread through the Song of the Wind, not through normal sound... And I'm done!" He beat both hands clean and crossed his arms at the tent that he had armed. "Cozy, warm and ahead of schedule."

Giovanni noticed that the other soldiers quarreled and struggled to get a single piece of their tents standing.

"Since you've done our entire job already..." Faltered Verano scratching his hair. "Want to help us find the Zigana?"

"Me?" Recoiled Giovanni. He sweated in the cold. "I-I'm not a Firebender, I'm an architect! That Spirit will blow me to pieces."

"You said you've always to see an air instrument. I'm hearing one and I can find it. Will you come? This is your last chance..."

"I can go…" Faltered Giovanni. "But you can't judge me if I run on the first sight of trouble!"

Arnaud rose his voice:

"I also want that condition!"

Verano sighed:

"Fine. We need to go now while the Count is still distracted with his instructions," he glanced at King Heinrich who discussed with the Baron, Inquisitor Guillaume and Count Otto.

"I'm ready." Said Giovanni pulling a crossbow off the ground.

The three boys ventured into the gelid woods of the Trento Alps. Their smiles of excitement collapsed into scowls with every step into the wilderness. Wolves howled as the forestation became darker. Arnaud's right foot passed through a bush and he sprung off the ground:

"D-Did you guys hear that? Just there!"

"I'm focusing on the harp..." Frowned Verano with his eyes closed. Giovani glanced at him, skeptical.

"Are you sure you can hear this? I find it impossible. We've been walking around in circles for a while, too..."

"I found her!" Verano opened his eyes and pointed at the top of hill standing ten minutes of walking from their position. A tree stood by the peak. "Let's go!"

"Is he always like this?" Inquired Giovanni glancing at Arnaud.

"You get used to it after a while. He is much smarter than he seems. And stronger, too."

"Cielo, I hope so!"

They walked towards the hill and the chuckles of two girls bothered the symphony of howls from the wolves in the forest.

"I can't wait!" Said one girl. "My father loves that stupid cow of his, even more than the jewelry that his father gave him. He says that cow's milk heals the ill. It'll be hilarious when you take her."

"Yeah, it will be..." Remarked another girl with ears and tail of a fox. She wore the Baron's crown. "Hey, do you like the music that I'm playing now, Princess Frieda? I made it just for you!"

"Yeah, it is..." Frieda rolled her eyes. She could not hear a note. "Beautiful! I'm almost crying!"

"You seem insincere..." Faltered the Zigana.

"You doubt me, Candorra? Look at me," Frieda embraced the Zigana. "I've never been so happy. Your music makes me feel so complete!"

"Then I will make my best effort tonight!" Said Candorra while a smile bridging both ears and her fingers playing the harp like a guitar.

"Yes, I can't wait! And you know..." Frieda looked at the castle from above the hill. "I think that King Heinrich and his stupid host is here. I heard he has a lion-tigress! I've always wanted one but dad said the King has the last one in Europa…"

"That stopped your dad," smiled Candorra raising the harp. "But it won't stop me! I'll get it for you! I just need to find my dancer."

"You two are not bothered with that whole _setting fire_ on the village from yesterday, right?" Faltered Frieda. "I wanted your recital to end with the fireworks that it deserved.

"You're always thinking of me," blushed Candorra. "You're the best fan ever! I love you, Frieda!"

"Now calm down and go calling our dancer! Love you!"

"Don't worry, he's coming soon!"

Verano hid his head away and talked to Arnaud and Giovanni.

"What a spoiled little witch, that Princess..." He remarked. "I knew there was more to this story..."

"C-Can we go now, then?" Faltered Arnaud. "The Dark Spirit is coming. You remember the things that dad spoke about these things..."

"We can't leave." Asserted Verano. "They will kill Candorra and the princess will go unpunished. And who knows what Levina will do if that spirit messes with her." He referred to the King's lion-tigress. "Only we can stop this before it gets bloody."

"I agree!" Said Giovanni. "But we need a strategy and..."

Verano dropped the MAV, his sword. He climbed the cliff and rose his arm at Candorra. The young architect rested a hand over his face.

"I swear, dude," faltered Arnaud. "He's _really_ smart! Even when he does stupid stuff like this!"

Verano spoke to Candorra:

"Hello? I'm Verano de Sforza..." Said Verano pulling the red mantle off his armor and throwing on the ground. "I'm not your enemy..."

"I-It's a lie!" Interrupted Princess Frieda. "Kill him!"

"Wait!" Verano rose his right hand at Candorra. "I'm your fan! I can hear your music. I know you're not a hack."

"Y-You..." Hesitated the Zigana. "You like my music?"

"He's lying!" Recoiled the Princess. "What you waiting for, Candorra? Blast him off the hill!"

Verano insisted:

"I'm not lying! How could I have come all the way from there if I couldn't hear your music, Candorra? Candorra is your name, right?"

She nodded.

"You see, Candorra," he glanced at the column of red tents in the distance. "I've come all the way carrying all this heavy equipment because I'm an admirer of your music. But the things you are doing are not right. Destroying a Barony should not be part of a spectacle."

"I-It makes sense..." Faltered Candorra. Her hands weighed over her harp. She did not dare to attack Verano.

A vein jumped on Princess Frieda's forehead.

"He's using you!" She yelled.

"No, _she_ is using you!" Verano pointed at the princess. "Do you think real minstrels destroy every town where they play? I heard your music and it's beautiful," he blushed. "It's the second best sound I've ever heard in my life, actually."

" _Second_ best sound?" Candorra frowned. She rested her hands on her harp.

Arnaud recoiled and glanced at Giovanni.

"I knew he'd mess up! Prepare to fire!"

Frieda smirked with malice:

"You see? He prefers someone else other than you, Candorra! I am the only one who truly loves you and your music! And..." She noticed that a tail of smoke roamed the forests as if patrols roamed the wild in search of Candorra. "He's with _my dad_! This is a trap!"

"Why..." Candorra teared as she noticed the torch fires in the woods. "How can people just lie to me like this?"

Verano stretched his right hand as if he could reach her:

"Candorra, wait!"

She played her harp and a strong wind busted from the instrument and knocked Verano against a tree.

"Brother!" Exclaimed Arnaud climbing the hill and punching two flames against Candorra.

Frieda exploited the distraction to pull ropes from the ground and tie herself.

"I'd better go fast..." She faltered. "Father's men are coming-"

"Don't move!" Shouted Giovanni with his crossbow pointed at her.

Candorra faced Arnaud's fire and aimed her harp at the snowy ground before firing.

"Hope you like the cold, fatty one!"

"Wait, who you're calling fat-"

The Zingana played the instrument and a strong breeze mauled the ground and rose a tall wave of snow that swallowed Arnaud's attack and himself.

"Damn it, I can't move! Argh-" Bemoaned Arnaud with only his head out of the snow. "This armor is too heavy! I can't power out!"

Frieda noticed that both Candorra's foes had been repelled. She rose her voice:

"Candorra, help! This one is gonna fire at me!"

Giovanni sweated cold.

"T-This is totally not what it looks like!" He faltered.

Verano ran out of the forest and punched a flame against the snow burying Arnaud. His brother stood up.

"Quick, Verano," said Arnaud taking the MAV, the sword that Marzia had given Verano, and throwing at his brother. "You need to break that harp! Fast!"

Giovanni dropped his crossbow and rose his arms.

"I surrender!" He yelled at Candorra as the Zigana prepared to fire a burst of air that would send him flying off the hill.

"There are no lyrics like these in my ballad, cutie boy!" She replied as she dove her right hand into the harp.

"Stop!" Yelled Verano thrusting the MAV against the instrument. A flame with the shape of the blade escaped the weapon.

"Get down!" Yelled Giovanni as he stretched his arm to pull Candorra away from the fire.

She dropped her harp and accepted his aid. He pulled her upon him and saved her from the flames.

Verano sighed in relief as he saw his fire flying off the hill without having harmed Candorra.

"And..." Arnaud rose his voice and punched a blaze against her fallen harp. "We won! Yes!"

He rose his arms and commemorated his victory as the instrument burned.

"You-" Candorra faltered as she stared into Giovanni's eyes. "Tried to save me?"

"Yeah, I did..." He blushed. "Verano said the truth. We are not your enemies, I swear."

"But I am!" Said Frieda raising Giovanni's crossbow off the ground and aiming at Candorra.

The Baron, Inquisitor Guillaume, King Heinrich and some of his men reached the top of their hill.

"Frieda? You are alright?" Asked the Baron with tears in his eyes.

"Excellent job, De Sforza." Smiled King Heinrich. "As expected from my Marshall's sons."

"I don't deserve your appreciation, your majesty!" Said Arnaud bowing down with his forehead on the snow.

"This is not what you're thinking, your majesty..." Faltered Verano glancing at Frieda with a scowl. "The princess is—"

"This girl!" Said Frieda aiming at Candorra. Crocodile tears sprung off her eyes. "She did horrors to me until these three boys appeared! Look at how injured they are! She was trying to kill them and they still freed me! They are real heroes, father! Give them what they deserve..."

Giovanni protested:

"Stop trying to buy us! Baron of Trento, sir..." He faltered. "Frieda, your daughter, was never kidnapped. She was the one planning the attacks. Candorra is gullible and the princess was fooling her all along."

"I don't believe you!"

"Look at your crown!" He glanced at the Zigana's head. "Look at all your favorite jewelry," he glanced at a tent laying on the floor. "Only someone who knew you well would have stolen the right things to mess with you."

King Heinrich narrowed his eyes at Verano. He frowned:

"Is this true, De Sforza?"

"Yes, your majesty. We have no reason to lie."

"Well," King Heinrich frowned. "True or not, I'll leave the Baron's daughter to be judged by the Baron himself. But since we have three witnesses speaking in her favor, the Zigana shall be judged by a judge of my court as soon as possible."

"Thank you, your majesty." Said Verano as he bowed down. He glanced at Candorra and noticed that she ignored the conversation about her destiny. She only had eyes for her burnt harp.

Inquisitor Guillaume took a step ahead and searched his surroundings.

"This is beautiful and all with this family nonsense," he faltered. "But where is the Dark Spirit?"

"Over there!" Yelled a Fire Knight as a dark blue bear-like beast rose a fallen tree trunk from the ground and threw at the Fire Knights.

"Spread out!" Ordered King Heinrich as he threw himself on the ground and his men followed him.

Inquisitor Guillaume kneeled down near Candorra.

"If it was you who disturbed him with your music," he remarked with his eyes narrowed at the Spirit. "You can calm it too."

"I can't..." She sobbed. Her tears washed her broken harp. "It's broken."

"Maybe I can fix it!" Said Giovanni pulling the instrument from her hands. "I brought spider-beetle's web. The surface burned, but if I put all the shattered pieces together..." His hands searched the ground. "Help me find them!"

"We have no time!" Shouted the Inquisitor as the spirit descended from the wilds and ran towards him.

He punched the ground and rose his fist. A strong breeze lifted off the dirt and pummeled a huge wave of snow against the spirit.

The spirit rose from the pile of snow with ease and ran towards the wild.

"Set the forests on fire now!" Yelled Guillaume at the Fire Knights.

King Heinrich and his Knights directed flames at the forest and set the leaves on fire. The monster faltered as it saw the intense blazes.

"It's surrounded now," said Guillaume moving his hands and conducting the wind as to form a strong whirlwind around the spirit. Smoke mixed with his winds. "The smoke will make it easier."

"It looks like it's in pain..." Frowned Verano in disgust as the whirlwind turned grey.

"Wait, I've fixed it with spider-beetle's web!" Giovanni spoke as he put the harp together. He rose his head and saw that Guillaume conducted a floating sphere of smoke over his casket. Nobody heard him.

"Open it!" Ordered the Inquisitor glancing at Arnaud and the casket.

The boy hurried to follow his orders and Guillaume conducted the sphere into the casket and closed the cover.

"Sealed." Remarked the Inquisitor as he closed all the locks to the casket. The object trembled as if the Spirit fought to get out.

Verano frowned in disgust.

"This was..."

"Awesome!" Said Arnaud approaching the Inquisitor. "Does this always work? Can you pass by our Duchy and get rid of one that we have in the woods?"

"It only works with weak Spirits..." Remarked Guillaume without facing Arnaud in the eyes. He wore the casket on his backs.

" _That_ was a weak spirit?"

"I have no time to answer your questions, Monsieur De Sforza." He glanced at the Baron. "It seems my work here is done. I'll bring this soul to the Sanatorium."

Verano took a step ahead.

"What's this _Sanatorium_?"

"Nothing of your concern, Firebender." Said Guillaume as he walked away nonchalantly.

Giovanni answered Verano's question:

"It's a huge monastery in the ground where they put all the dark spirits in and search for a way to pacify them. It's also where they train Inquisitors like this guy. The location is a secret, though." Said Giovanni as he glanced at Candorra. "Here," he delivered her harp to her. "This is what I could do. Maybe it can still play some music."

Verano frowned at the Zingana:

"I think you'll be going with us for a while until the King can find some judge to decide your fate. Why not play some music?" He glanced at Princess Frieda who left the hill in her father's arms. "My sister always said it helps with the mood. Even when things don't go the best way possible."

"T-Thanks, you two..." She teared as she embraced her broken harp and meddled with the strings. "T-T-There's still sound! Thank you so much!" She embraced Giovanni.

Arnaud walked by his brother's side and arched the arm around his shoulder.

"I guess everything went better than expected." He glanced at Verano. "To be fair, I was expecting you dying horribly, so..."

"I had it all under control."

"Sure, right..."

"Hey, Verano..." Faltered Candorra with a scowl. "You said there was something that you preferred hearing over my music? What was that?"

He frowned upon the "M" carved on the MAV as he sheathed his sword.

"That's a secret," replied Verano.

"Okay, so, prepare for this now! Whatever you like, you're gonna forget it now. You'll love this song I just invented! I call it the _Ballad of Verano_!"

"The name's already a masterpiece." Arnaud rolled his eyes.

"Shut it, fatty! I'm about to start!"

"Hey! Who do you think you are?"

King Heinrich watched by Count Otto's side as their recruits quarreled.

"Duke De Sforza's children sure are promising," commented Count Otto. "But will their good spirits survive in Alba? What do you have in mind for them once we face the Northmen, my lord?"

Heinrich smirked with malice in his eyes.

"You have _no_ idea."


	7. NEW READER? Start here! Plot Summary

Want to join the adventures in the Wild Lands **but don't want to read the Chapters that precede this post**?

Or just want a brief summary of everything that you've just read so you don't forget?  
This post is for you!

* * *

 **Summary of the 1st Arc: Boyhood**

(Chapter I 'Not All Heroes are Sung' ~ Chapter V: A Love that Cannot Be)

A woman attempts to flee the Gulf of Misra in the **Caliphate of Camarilla** with a child, an act that the Caliph himself has forbidden for 13 days. Yet she manages to put her baby in a basket and send him across the _Middle Sea_ before she is captured. She named her son "Hadi" (means Leader / Guide) after the man who helped him escape and left a necklace with his name written on her language.

Hadi has a strange connection with spirits and they save him from drowning. They deliver him to the cares of the Duke and Duchess De Sforza, who had no children at that moment. "Verano" is the name that they give Hadi.

Verano is raised with the uptight Marzia and the lazy Arnaud Jr. Their father is rough and often uses physical threats to incentivize their children to mature and follow rules. As an upset for everyone in the Duchy, Verano discovers his capacity to bend Fire (unlikely for a boy with no physical traits of the land) as he defends his brother Arnaud from his father.

Years pass and King Heinrich of Aarchen, the ruler of the Kingdom of Aarchen to which the Duchy De Sforza belongs, is gathering an army to go defend the King of Alba from the vicious Northmen, waterbending Sea Raiders. King Heinrich hopes to conquer the vote from the King of Alba so he becomes Emperor of the Holy Flame someday and unites all Fire Kingdoms to expel the Caliphate of Camarilla off the continent.

Arnaud Jr and Verano show excitement with the idea of discovering new lands and adventuring but Marzia doesn't allow them to go. Verano discovers that they are her only friends and she even confesses to have deeper feelings for Verano than those of friendship. Yet a possible relationship is a taboo since they were both raised as siblings. Marzia gives Verano the sword MAV (Marzia-Arnaud-Verano) as his 17th birthday gift and asks him to promisse her that he'll come back _by the first snow_.

As Verano and Arnaud depart to the north in search of adventure, the Duke sees his sons' naiveté with contempt:

 _"They are walking into hell with smiles on their faces."_

* * *

 **Summary of the 2nd Arc: Hella**  
(Chapter VI: When the Heart lies~?)

Verano and Arnaud Jr are on their journey to Alba and they meet Giovanni, a talented young architect. Together, they save Candorra, a gullible music playing Zigana Airbender who has no clue that her music can only be heard by Verano, the spirits and other Airbenders. She joins them in their voyage to the north but cloudy storms lie ahead...


	8. VI - The Stars Beneath the Earth

_Dear Marzia, dear sorella_

 _Tis the first time I write to you since I've departed, so pardon my gramar. I've noticed you've snuck in some tales in my bag and I pormisse to read them and learn to write well. Seneca said we learn to speak when we hear, and learn to write when we read... Was it he who said it or was it you? I dunnow, you two were both teachers to me._

 _We've made new friends already: a Zigana named Candorra that you'd either love her or hate her, depending on your moods. And Giovanni, an intelligent boy for whom I'd feel very jealous for I'd not understand whatcha yu two would talk if you ever met. We've saved a village together and now we are crossing a very dangerous mountain range to reach the Bay of Champagn, from where we'll depart to the Kingdom of Alba. They say there are giants there! I cant wait!_

 _But still. Nothing looks as big and majestic as they should when you are not here. You might seem like the smallest thing in the world to yourself, but you leave a huge emptiness when you not by my side. And the Wild Lands too seem less beautiful when you are not around to give it light._

 _Please tell mama I miss her. (I dunno how to end thise letters)_

 _ **Verano de Sforza**_ _, Valley of Champagn; west to the Trentino._

* * *

"Atchium!" Sneezed Arnaud Jr as King Heinrich's column of fresh levies crossed around a mountain. A snowstorm froze him alive. "I can't feel my ears, Verano. How are they looking like?"

"H-H-Horrible..." Mumbled Verano. He did not do much better than his brother. Even his olive skin could not be distinguished with ease from the snow around them.

"W-W-Warm them up, please. Y-You can be rough."

Verano squeezed his eyes so that he could see his brother's head through the snowstorm. He rose his hand to warm Arnaud's ear.

"Stop!" Intervened Giovanni, the young architect. "You'll end up ripping his ear out! I know we come from the Middle Sea, but not everyone needs to know..." He glanced at the other levies in the column who giggled at them.

"Chill." Smirked Verano. "Y-Y-You get it? _Chill?_ " His smile collapsed as his joke did not move a single cheek. "Never mind, it's too cold to jest."

"Seriously, who inherited the brain in your family?" Inquired Giovanni as he looked at both brothers.

Verano and Arnaud exchanged sights and answered at the same time:

"Our sister."

"I know what you guys need, a revitalizing song!" Said Candorra, excited. She walked by the side of the column as if she strolled across a warm beach. A precipice was a couple steps to her left.

"H-How in the hell are you not dying?" Recoiled Arnaud Jr. "A-Are you even human?"

"Shhh, fatty..."

"I told you to stop calling me that!"

"Okay, fatty..." She frowned at her harp. "What should I play now? Maybe something agitated because everyone's looking so sad."

"That's because we are cold!"

Giovanni rolled his eyes at Candorra and Arnaud's discussion. Yet he noticed people gossiped about her:

"We have a Zigana in the host?" Asked an unknown soldier.

Another commented:

"Not surprised we've been getting snowstorms for two days straight. She brings bad luck!"

The young architect frowned:

"Hey, Candorra," he faltered as he noticed the scowls facing her. "Maybe you shouldn't play? There is a time and place for everything..."

"Maybe the _Ballad of Verano_ again? Or Princess Siegfrieda? Maybe the Three Slaves' Saga?" She asked herself nonchalantly.

Verano leaned towards Giovanni:

"Better just let her play. It's too cold to argue."

"Y-You really don't function in the cold, do you, Verano?"

"I feel half my brain has frozen to death already-"

"I got it! Haha!" Giggled Candorra, excited. "I'll play the _Drums of the Woods_ so you wake up, Verano!"

"This sounds like a bad idea..." Remarked Giovanni squeezing his eyes to see the masses of snow and ice hanging near the mountain's peak.

"That's why it's so great!" Chuckled the Zigana. "Nobody will see it coming!"

Arnaud Jr smirked maliciously as he faced Candorra:

"Hey, w-w-w-why don't you play while standing behind the column or in front of it? Play as loud as you can and you'll inspire everyone!"

"That's a great idea, fatty, you're smart!" She smiled. "But the acoustics are better here."

Candorra rested her hands on the harp and stretched her fingers to play.

Giovanni swallowed dry:

"I got a tremendo feeling about this, Verano."

"C-Chill, Giovanni," chuckled Verano. "You worry too much. We go through life better without fear dragging our feet. What's the worst that can happen?"

Candorra played the first note and the mountain shook.

"What was that?" Asked Count Otto, King Heinrich's host's second in command. He stood ahead of the column.

"It's not tuned yet," faltered Candorra as she meddled with her harp.

"See?" Giovanni sighed in relief. "Maybe it's a sign that you shouldn't—"

"But now it is turned!"

"Wait, no!" The boy stretched his hand as she played the second note. A large mass of ice thundered and descended upon the column as if a cloudy sky fell upon the young soldiers.

"Quick, form a fire umbrella!" yelled Count Otto moving through the column on his horse. "As I told you! Anti-arrow formation! Now! Now! Now!"

"Cursed be this Zigana!" Yelled a soldier as he rose his arms to expel a fire wave. Other hands rose to the sky and followed his gesture.

"Quick, Arnaud!" Said Verano unfreezing himself with the heat from his comrades' flames. He rose his arms and repeated their movement.

Candorra faced the incoming wave of snow about the knock them off the mountain. She clenched her fists.

"Maybe it's not gonna be enough..." She faced the umbrella of fire and rested her hands on her harp. "I'll feed the flames with air!"

Soldiers from the column recoiled. One pointed his hand at her:

"She's gonna attack us!"

Verano noticed the agitation and held Candorra as she laid her hands on the instrument.

"Wait, Candorra, no!"

"Stop, you'll mess up my tempo-" She played the harp and an airwave busted against the ground. "No!"

The earth beneath them broke. Verano and Candorra fell into the precipice.

"Wait, Verano!" Faltered Arnaud laying on the ground and stretching the arm to catch his brother. "Just let her fall-"

The weakened ground could not sustain his weight and shattered.

"Crap…" Murmured Arnaud as he closed his eyes and fell after them.

Giovanni stood by the edge of the abyss and shouted:

"Guys, no!"

A capped man ran from the column and jumped into the precipice as if he followed them. Giovanni recoiled and fell on his backs as if he had seen a shadow.

"W-What was that?"

The shady figure dove through the snowstorm and noticed that Verano grabbed Candorra by the arm as they both fell.

"I-I know a song that will stop the fall!" She rested her hands on the harp. "Just stand-"

"No! It's not safe!" Said Verano stretching his arm so that he could eject flames to deaccelerate them. Yet a blaze burned his hand. "Argh! What was that?"

He looked above and saw that the capped figure held Arnaud.

"With me!" Said the mysterious man reaching Verano's and Candorra's altitude. He could see lights deep beneath as if a constellation hid in the depths of the abyss. "Follow my fire, you two," he glanced at Arnaud and Verano. "More intense flames and your necks will break with the whiplash!"

"R-R-Right!" Said Arnaud as he gritted his teeth and fought to balance himself in the air.

"3... 2..." Counted the capped man. "Now!"

Their flames cushioned the fall and they landed gently on a shallow lake. The warm water and the humidity of the depths of the abyss contrasted with the coldness from the mountain.

"That was close..." Remarked Verano, gasping. He faced the capped the figure. "Thank you for help, sir..."

The man pulled down the cape and revealed a thin face whose eyes hid under a bandana. A bow and arrow hanged on his back.

"I-It's Johann Martel!" Recoiled Arnaud Jr. "The Archer of the Trentino! I'm such a fan!"

"W-Who is this weirdo?" Asked Candorra. "He's blind!"

Arnaud explained:

"This is Johann Martel, King Heinrich's spymaster."

The man grunted.

"Why don't you two tell the lowborn my horoscope as well?" He inquired as he took a step away from them.

"Wow, Johann Martel's a jerk..." Frowned Arnaud Jr. " He's even cooler now! Wait," he followed the man. "Is that story about you and the apple true-"

"Quiet!" He rose his hand at the boy's face. "I hear Spirits in these ruins. Lots of them."

Verano took a step ahead and searched his surroundings. He noticed spirits glowed in the dark and faded like fireflies. Bright yellow light burned inside glasses and dotted the horizon. The ground was grey like hardened cement and buildings much larger and complex than those of the Duchy de Sforza covered the walls. Vines sprung off their windows and off the ground. The odd vegetation gave the place the air of a swamp.

"What even is this place?" Recoiled the boy.

"You guys don't know about these?" Asked Candorra. "These are the _Ruins of Light_. Plenty o'those in the Wild Lands. I was raised in one picking up metals."

"When Zigans want, they do survive in any hole that they find..." Remarked Johann.

"That's offensive!"

"It was a compliment."

Arnaud Jr walked ahead and noticed that vines blocked half the passageways. The darkness concealed them and he measured every step to do not bother them.

"Can't we just blast these things off the path? They make me really nervous-"

"No!" Verano and Johann rose their voices at the same time.

"I feel something about them..." Faltered Verano. "It's like they are way more than _vines_. They feel as if they were conscious. Like us."

Candorra chuckled:

"That's about right, Verano." She narrowed her eyes at Arnaud. "Touch one and you'll end up like that guy, fatty," she pointed at the skeleton of a scavenger laying on the ground. "But maybe a diet wouldn't be so bad for you..."

"You almost kill us all and you mock me?" Protested Arnaud.

"Enough, you two!" Ordered Johann. "Zigana," he glanced at Candorra. "You've been to these before. Do you think you can guide us to the exit?"

"You gotta know the language of the ancient, but I know a couple navigation words. That won't be a problem," she smiled. "What is a problem to me is how you will see anything with that bandage over your eyes. How can you see with it?"

Arnaud Jr snorted at her:

"You can't just ask how people see!"

"It's fine," Johann faced her. ""I've learned to feel the heat and desire in everything around me. Our eyes deceive us too much. Losing my sight was a gift. I can feel the warmth and desire in people's hearts and know when they plot and when they are sincere."

"So..." She faltered. "You can tell that I didn't want to harm anyone?"

"If I had seen evil in you, I'd have shot you down and made it look like an accident. I've done before." He frowned upon a wall of vines blocking their path to the rest of the ruins. "I see a great heart in you. A brain, on the other hand..."

Arnaud Jr laughed loud.

Verano kneeled down by the vines. They opened the way for him to pass as if the plants were servants opening the way for their majesty. He recoiled and fell on his backs.

"H-How?" He asked himself.

Johann frowned at the surprised boy:

"You really are _different_. For a moment there I thought about letting you three fall and calling it a practical lesson of what _not_ to do." He rose Verano from the ground. "Now I'm glad I didn't."

"Can you tell me about this place?" Asked Verano. His heart pounded louder as the spirits opened the way and he could see buildings much taller than the Castello advancing into the dark sky of the mountain. Bright empty windows covered their sides like bricks of light. "If only Marzia were here to see this, it's awesome..."

"I'm not very acknowledged," replied Johann gesturing for Candorra to lead the way. "All I know is that once humans were all around the world and there were much more of them. All changed when the Spirits began to move in and conflicts started. First, they took over these large cities that homed millions and forced humans to leave. When people finally fought back, the darkness in the human heart made the Spirits go dark and nothing in the world could harm them." He glanced at the destroyed war machines, craters and pieces of metal laying on the streets. "All humans could do was fleeing. And they fled for generations. Until all those who remained of them in the Wild Lands inhabited the shadows of Heaven's Shrine, protected by the Grey Guardian. And the rest is history."

"So..." Verano faltered. "Spirits were not always part of our world?"

"There is no _our_ world, Verano de Sforza. Go to a hill at night and look at any fief," he frowned. "Count how many flames people dare to leave lit and then how many glowing Spirits you see roaming the wild. The Wild Lands belong to _them_ , not us. When I lost my sight facing one of them, I stopped listening to the lies that the proud Knights tell about how they expelled Spirits and settled new lands; instead I began to hear their hearts pounding in fear of ever facing a Spirit again. And they never did."

"So sometimes you gotta stop hearing what people say and just look at what they do?"

"Then you'll be one step closer of listening to their heart." Smirked Johann with sympathy for the boy. "You'll make a powerful Bender someday, Verano, I can feel it. If you ever need a tutor, it'd be my pleasure to-"

Candorra interrupted them:

"That's it!" She pointed at a board fallen on a concrete road. A large bridge blossomed off the ground and advanced into a dark tunnel in the horizon. "That board says 'Exit' in the language of the ancient! I said I'd help!"

"How can we be so sure, I mean..." Faltered Arnaud. "We'd not even be here if you hadn't had tried to help us."

She grunted:

"You are..." Her bravado diminished. "Kinda right."

The Spirits that floated around aimed their eyes at her, bothered.

Verano touched Candorra's shoulder to support her:

"Hey," he smiled. "You won't ever do anything right if you just stop trying."

Those words were familiar to Arnaud's ears. He rose his voice:

"Father Seneca said that?"

"No."

"Dad?"

"No." Verano faced him. "Marzia."

"Wow..." Arnaud recoiled. "You actually paid attention to what _Marzia_ said?"

Verano narrowed his eyes at his brother and his calm expression fell. A vein sprung off his forehead and his fists clenched.

Johann glanced at the Spirits and noticed that they trembled along with Verano as if his connection to them was even more intense than to Candorra.

"What is this guy?" He rustled to himself, aghast. His right hand grasped an end of his bow.

Yet Candorra hugged both brothers together and the Spirits calmed.

"I'd love to watch you beat some pounds off him," she remarked. "But we really gotta go. Staying places like this for long is bad. New Spirits come out at night and we may be stepping on the territory of one now."

Verano frowned:

"You are right. I'm okay, we can move on."

"Are you really alright?" Faltered Arnaud. "Sorry for saying that. I've always made fun of Marzia, but it seems you got a bit more sentimental for her since we left. Then again," he frowned. "I miss her too."

"It's fine, Arnaud." He smiled. "I can't really feel angry with you. Let's just go."

Johann noticed as the Spirits move away and hid in the ruins of the city as Verano smiled. He followed the group as they walked through a tunnel and saw an exit hiding behind a waterfall.

"Candorra was right!" Said Arnaud sticking his head through the water and seeing ships dotting the coastline. King Heinrich's red mantles painted the beach. "This was really the exit! But it's been so easy..." He faltered. "No big fight? No hard challenge for the day?"

"You have Candorra to thank for that." Said Verano hurrying to see how the coast looked like. Yet he noticed that the Spirits floated inside the ruins and stared at him. He faced them and they faded from his sight as he took a last sight of the immense city hiding in the mountain. "One day I want to come back and explore all of it. There must be so much to discover there."

A thunderous sound echoed from the stormy clouds in the sky. Johann Martel grasped his bow as if he expected an attack.

"The legendary Johann Martel is scared of lightening?" Inquired Arnaud. "That just makes him even more complex! _So awesome!_ "

"No, De Sforza, I'm not, argh-" He grunted. "The sounds of the storms and waves remind me of the beating of certain drums."

"What?" Inquired Candorra with light in her eyes. "Is it music?"

"One could say it is." He glanced at her. "The storm reminds me of the thunderous drums that the Northmen play from the mist before they land on the shore." He faced the North Sea hidden by the end of the bay. "We are getting close."

 **Fragments of Lore**

 _Movement empowers Firebending_. Based on that principle, _Fire Knights_ have discovered a manner to sum their movement to the one of their mounts in order to execute powerful fiery cavalry charges that have decided the outcome of hundreds of battles. A _Squire_ only becomes a _Knight_ when he / she is able to form a bond with an animal through the dangerous rite of _Verbrüderung:_ a face-to-face wrestle between the Bender and the animal where the _Firebender_ must dominate the creature not by harming it, but by using _Fire_ to demonstrate overwhelming power, dominance and desire. While horses exist in the _Wild Lands_ and are the most popular mount, legendary _Firebenders_ have tamed all sorts of fearsome creatures as mounts: from the powerful bear-hogs to the colossal elephants of the East. Deceased Emperor of the Holy Flame Lettow is even said to have found and bonded with a _Dragon_ at some point in his life.


	9. Lore - The Legend of Lettow

**Lettow The Great** , the _Emperor of the World_

 _"Even a Dragon shall bow."_

 **Once upon a time** , _there was no_ _Empire of the Holy Flame_. The many _Firebending_ peoples lived in rustic tribes with barely any productive land. _Spirits_ plagued most of the territory and watched as the _Firebenders_ warred over the scraps. Some _Land Lords_ even worshipped the _Spirits_ of the wilds in exchange of mercy and assistance in their wars, especially in the _North_ where the influence of the _Tribes of the North Sea_ was stronger. This was the _Darkest Age_.

When the _Feudal Lord_ of Aachen, the only formal kingdom of the time, died without leaving heirs; internal struggle among _Fireknights_ led to a bloody civil war. Pretenders were willing to darken and use _Spirits_ in their fight to power. The people called for a savior.

A young boy, bastard son of the deceased _Feudal Lord_ , went to _Heaven's Shrine_ as a pilgrim. **He had promised to make 100 thousand prayers** so that the _Grey Guardian_ would forgive the boy's mother. She was the prostitute who poisoned the boy's father as vengeance and sent the kingdom into disarray. The boy sat for weeks straight as he begged the _Grey Guardian_ for her forgiveness. His willpower amazed the Airbending Clergy who began to admire his dedication to his goals.

Finally, as the boy completed 1/6 of the promised prayers, he was already in the brink of death. He lost his consciousness due to exhaustion and _an angel touched him_. The clerics saved the boy and he saw flames blazing off his fingers as he rose from the ground. **He had been blessed with the gift of Firebending.**

When asked his name, he said:

 _"Lettow, the Bastard."_

A Supreme Priest corrected him:

 _"Lettow von Aarchen, chosen of the Grey Guardian, Holy Emperor of the Fire People."_

The Birth of an Empire

 _L_ ** _ettow had been chosen by the Divine, yet not yet by the man_**. Skepticism and tomatoes welcomed him as he returned to Aarchen with Priests and Inquisitors. They saw him as nothing but another pretender willing to start war.

He understood that prayer was the language of the _Grey Guardian_ and power was the language of the humans. **Yet 10 Firebenders were still willing to accept a** _ **Lord**_ **chosen by the divine**. Lettow made them his paladins and promised that each would die with vast lands and wealth. They nodded politely and dismissed their master's promise as _empty words_. Yet those 10 people would become the 9 Dukes of the _Empire of the Holy Flame_.

They travelled together to the mountains of Pirinéus between Aarchen and Badajoz, a land called **The County of Dragons**. The ultimate symbol of power for the Fire people was the Dragon. Lettow understood that he would only become _Emperor_ by overpowering the most powerful being in the _Wild Lands._

The impossible happened: Lettow fought the _Alpha Male_ of all Dragons for 4 months **when the earth itself seemed to burn as they fought**. As Lettow finally wrapped a rope around the Dragon's jaw, looked it in the eyes and told what would be its name (Helius); the entire geography of the Pirinéus had changed. Their formed a _Bond_ and Lettow returned to Aarchen with his paladins.

Lettow conquered Aarchen without blood. The populace submitted as they saw Helius, his dragon, flying below Lettow. His first decision as a ruler was to crush all sorts of Cults of Spirits through Inquisitional Judges and then ravage the wilderness with fire until most weak _Dark Spirits_ moved to the Spirit Steppes. He then fulfilled his promises to his paladins and conquered the tribes of the north and southwest and turned them into walled feuds like Aarchen. **Feudalism crystalized**.

Lettow promised his paladins:

 _"The Emperor of the Holy Flame shall be the guardian of you and your princes until the 27th Generation. No adventurer shall take over the land that the Emperor's flame has bestowed upon you."_

Lettow returned to _Heaven's Shrine_ where the Grand-Priest of the Church crowned him **Emperor of the Holy Flame,** Supreme Guardian of the Fire Peoples, the Penitent Faith and the Sacred Church of Heaven's Shrine.

The Sunset of a Life

 _"I've taken a hundred battles and a thousand arrows before the first one hurt. How much I wish that 1001th arrow had hit my chest,_ ** _not hers_** _."_

Among Lettow's ten paladins was a young girl named Siegfrieda who had been born deaf. Her only mean to talk was through _Firebending_ and she had a secret language that Lettow deciphered and shared with her. They fell in love for she knew that he was the only one who could understand her. **Yet she never knew that Lettow shared the same feeling.**

The **Waterbending Northmen** were enemies whom Lettow never managed to defeat. They constantly raided the shores and threatened his Princes. Yet the threat only became his priority once they pillaged and destroyed the _Feud of Hanhiver_. Siegfrieda, as Duchess of Hanhiver and Empress, sought after the raiders for the destruction of her land and she died in the North Sea. **Her image haunted Lettow's nightmares. He dreamed of her calling for his help when there was nothing that he could do.** He lost his capacity to sleep and went mad.

He rallied his lords and invaded Alba with overwhelming strength. The combined power of all Fire Knights proved to outmatch any enemy in the world once their cavalry landed. They crushed the _Northmen_ , burnt all their images of Spirit worship and erected a huge wall to lock them in the most miserable lands to the north of Alba. **Yet his greatest offense was to deny burial to his foes in the tradition of the Water Tribes.** He buried them deep in the ground where the _Northmen_ thought the dead could never reach the realm of the Spirits.

Because of his actions, the war for the _North Sea_ claims lives to this day.

The Death of a Legend

Old, lonely and sleep-deprived, **Emperor Lettow** dedicated his time to roam around his palace. He often said that he pursued Siegfrieda, who often played a romantic _Catch_ with him in their castles. He went hunting alone yet he always brought two mounts: one for himself, and another for Siegfrieda, whom he still hoped to find in his travels.

His retirement was disturbed when he heard news that an extremely powerful bender called _the Guide_ had united all the _Earthbending_ Tribes and had his eyes aimed at Afrika and Europa. His _Cult of the Moon (the Camarilla)_ sounded to Lettow like an eerie religion that he could not distinguish from Spirit worship.

He rose _Fire Knights_ and flew to confront _the Guide_. They found each other in the Battle of Tassos, a **bloody skirmish that would decide the fate of the last Penitent city outside of Europa**.

Accustomed to overwhelming victories and glories, _the Guide_ surprised **Holy Emperor Lettow** with an outstanding understanding of both _Elements_ and the nature of _Spirits._ **Lettow's power could destroy the Guide's flesh, yet not the Guide himself**. Exhausted, maddened and old, Lettow finally succumbed to the power of _the Guide_ and fell off the sky, dead.

 _The Guide_ stole the crown from the _**Emperor of the Holy Flame**_ and crowned himself **Caliph,** _Emperor of Two Worlds_.

Lettow's body never returned home. His corpse's fate is unknown to this day.


	10. VII - The Hostage King

_Dear Marzia, sorella mia_

 _My grammar is improving thanks to your books! But much more important, we've arrived in Alba. Sadly, we left a trail that the Waterbenders might follow: Arnaud is quite sensitive to waves... I do not think bathing in the North Sea will be a good idea for a while._

 _It rains a lot in Alba. They say it's the tears of the dead. When it's not raining, we see the Northern Lights. Yes, they are real! I went out to stare at the beautiful lights in the sky but the soldiers here are scared. They say the Spirits in the lights are eyes for the Northmen. This place seems to have messed with their heads. Many soldiers left on the same ship that we arrived. They looked twice their age somehow._

 _Don't worry about my welfare, though: I've been training a lot with a certain legendary man whose name I can't mention. Haven't seen any Northmen yet, but I think I'm way more than ready to kick some "waterbending ass", as Arnaud would say. But there's something here that bugs me. Back home, people felt safer when we were around. Here, when they see a Firebender, they hide. Why are they so scared of us?_

 _It's been a season without you and sometimes I look at the Northern Lights and giggle at them. Poor glowing lights!_ _  
_ _Little do they know that they got nothing on your smile._

 _ **Verano de**_ ** _Sforza_** _, Burg of Londinium, Kingdom of Alba._

"De Sforza, who are you writing to?" Asked Count Otto as he pulled weapons from the grass.

"Home." Replied Verano as he sat down by the edge of a cliff and watched the waves storm between his legs.

"I don't think the King's messengers deliver there." Smirked the Count.

"By the Middle Sea? The lands of the Sforza?"

"Not talking about that home, kiddo. Talking about your _real_ home," he smirked and narrowed his eyes at the kamaritan necklace. Verano's real mother had given him that jewel when he was a baby. "Or you gonna fool me that Livia of Sforza somehow gave birth to a desert kid like you?"

"What you talking about?" Grunted Verano staring at the man. "I know I'm adopted, but I've never felt like the Castello was not my home."

"You're not _just_ adopted, Verano. You're not like some kid whose Firebending parent got killed while defending her home and Livia took you in. No way. You're the kid whose dad slaughtered that parent and set their house on fire. And worst of all, you seem proud of it."

"I won't feel neither pride, nor shame for anything that I haven't do-"

"Then follow some good advice," Count Otto pulled Verano's necklace and glared at the boy like a predator. "Keep this crap where I can't see it. The people here," he glanced at the symbol of a cross scribed in a shield on his chest (the symbol of the Penitent Faith). "They are dumb and scared of death. When things start going badly, and they will-" He hid Verano's necklace beneath the boy's coat of mail. "They'll look for things to blame for their misfortune. And you'll be an easy guess."

Count Otto wore his helmet and walked away from the cliff.

"I know folks never follow good advice, especially when it's free..." The man continued. His arrogant smile did not decline an inch. "So when you end up with _the holy flame_ under your tied legs, don't say you haven't been warned."

Verano snorted and pulled his necklace out of hiding, obviously rejecting the Count's suggestions. Yet the boy frowned at the words marking the jewel. He wondered what horrors were those words carved on the necklace that they would bring doom to his comrades. He did not even imagine that his real name hid beneath his sights.

"Hey, the Count looked mad," remarked Arnaud Jr sitting down by Verano's side and throwing a slice of bread at him. "Someone tried to use his bald head as a mirror again?"

"What do you think this is, Arnaud?" Verano showed him the necklace.

"An awkward conversation starter." He crunched his food.

"I'm being serious."

"Okay, one moment..." Arnaud swallowed the bread. "So," he shoved the grains off his face. "Father Seneca told me it was some eastern magic amulet. But being Father Seneca, he just makes up whatever he doesn't know. Uncle Mario said it was a lie. And it was our Uncle himself that called Seneca to tutor us, so..." He chuckled. "Mother refused to talk about it and dad just asked you to hide this all the time. Marzia, however, had some theories..."

"And she never told me?" Verano's eyes widened. "Why?"

"She did not want to make you upset or feel like you don't belong. Some of the theories were _quite_ interesting..."

"Then tell me."

"They could severely alter the way you see the world and how you feel as a person, she said..."

"Then go on! You want me to die carrying some damned thing on my neck when I don't even know what it is?"

"Okay, her theory was..." Arnaud frowned upon the waves. "Her theory was..."

"Go on..."

"Nah, not telling you." He pulled an entire loathe of bread from his vests and swallowed.

"Arnaud..." Verano grunted. His fists clenched. "You have no idea how it is to live without a past, do you?"

"Why you care?" Arnaud recoiled as he arched his left arm around his brother. "She had many theories, alright? But you wanna know the theory that is right? I'm gonna tell you: you are Verano de Sforza and I, dad, mom, Uncle Mario and Marzia are your family. And the duchy is your home. I'd just throw this stupid thing off the cliff and go on with my life. We love you, big bro! Even dad hates you in a special way."

Verano chuckled as if Arnaud held the keys to his laughter and could crack a smile whenever he wanted. The doubts about his past became lighter in his mind.

"Now let's get outta here," Arnaud stood up. "Some Northmen ships were in the mist this morning. I don't want some Northmen betting which one will enslave this pretty body-"

"There has been a change of plans, Verano and Arnaud." Said Johann Martell who approached on a horse. "You'll be going north today..." He threw a letter towards the boys. "You'll protect King William of Alba as he goes north near the Wall of Siegfrieda to the burial of an old friend."

"A burial..." Faltered Verano noticing the royal seal of urgency on the letter. "And you're not coming, master?"

"Later. Even if I weren't, I'm sure you could handle any trouble. Yet there is one condition..."

"What is it?"

"King William demanded that you bring your Zigana friend"

"Wait, Candorra?" Arnaud laughed. "You're kidding, right? Generally, people ask us to keep her _away_. And I _get_ why! So the legendary Johann Martel also has a sense of humor, that just makes him be—"

"You see me laughing, Prince-Heir De Sforza?"

"Oh, crap. He _really_ wants to meet Candorra, doesn't he?" Arnaud covered his eyes with both hands. "Damn it!"

"What's the problem?" Asked Verano.

"Let's just say she's gotten into..." He frowned at his bread-filled bag. " _Trouble_."

Johann Martel sighed:

"It doesn't matter. I want her in the bridge of Eastham in two hours to meet King William. No excuses." Ordered the man as his horse rushed away.

"Why do I always mess up?" Groaned Arnaud.

Verano noticed his brother filled a bag with months of bread. He rose his voice:

"Wait, where did you get all these?" He frowned. A suspicion weighed in his mind. " _Candorra_? Tell me it wasn't."

Arnaud replied with a grin:

"Candorra."

They ran towards Londinium as if the earth burned. Crosses, tombstones and epitaphs dotted the landscape as frequently as trees and hills. They were the fallen of more than 50 years of battle for Alba. Yet nothing in the scenery justified their sacrifice: the grass was barely green, storm clouds painted the sky and the rocky beaches were gelid.

"Okay, I think she went to the one baker of the burg... Argh..." Gasped Arnaud as they reached Londinium. "Hopefully no one has executed her yet."

"Execution?" Recoiled Verano. "I left you guys alone for _one_ hour!"

"I know, I know..." Arnaud faltered. "It's that Giovanni wanted to present his weapon projects to the King and he left me alone with her. I am only human, okay? She started bothering me and I got desperate!"

"What did you tell her to do?"

Arnaud closed his eyes and pointed at a destroyed bakery. A tower of bread stood by the side of the ruined building. The commoners ran and pillaged the food before returning to their homes. Candorra stood above the bread holding her harp like a bow and arrow.

"Yes, no more oppression!" She spoke. "Today is the day we steal from the rich and give to the poor! Say Robindorra gave it to you!"

"My bread, no!" Cried the baker. "She destroyed everything!"

"Shut up, greedy bastard!"

Verano yelled:

"Candorra, stop!" He climbed the mountain of bread and held her.

"I'm doing justice, Verano! Don't embarrass me while I do justice!"

"You are not!" He reprimanded her. "It takes a lot of sacrifice and time from this man's life to make bread." He glanced at the crying baker. "If you just steal it, who'll even bother making it? Everyone will just starve!"

"But Arnaud said..."

"Forget whatever Arnaud told you. He can't even keep his bed in order."

"Hey, I tried!" Protested Arnaud. "Once!"

Verano rolled his eyes:

"My point is," he faltered. "Just forget all of this happened and apologize to the baker, okay?"

"Okay." She frowned morose. "Wait, I know what will work," she rose her harp. "I'll play him a cheerful song!"

"It's better than nothing." Remarked Verano facing the crowd who did not listen to a word that they spoke. "Now, please, give back the bread in the name of respect for this man's trade and-"

Nobody listened to him. Arnaud chuckled:

"You really thought that was gonna work, bro?"

"It was worth trying..." Sighed Verano as he rose his fist and a blaze sprung into the sky. The commoners of Alba recoiled with the sight of the flame. "Listen to me—"

"Run! He'll kill us!" Yelled a man. "Run!"

"Drop the bread! Drop it and go!" Shouted a mother pulling her child's arm and running away from the bakery.

People ran to every hole that they could find. All windows and doors of the burg closed. Verano frowned morosely:

"This was not how people reacted back home."

"Back there we were their protectors," explained Arnaud. "Here I think we are the invaders."

"It's true." Verano glanced at the eyes of terrorized children glaring at him through the breaches of windows. He smiled at them and they retreated into the darkness. "Not what I expected when I joined Heinrich's campaign, though."

A touch warmed his shoulder.

"T-Thank you, thank you for helping me, sir." Said the baker bowing before Verano.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble." Verano bowed back. "I know a friend who's great with buildings and he will fix your Candorra problem, I'm sure."

Arnaud rose his voice:

"If it's not asking too much from your saviors, can you serve us something to drink? All that bread, I mean-" He coughed. "All that danger made me thirsty."

"Arnaud!" Grunted Verano.

"What?"

"There's no problem, no problem!" Insisted the baker. "Come with me!"

They sat down in the baker's home and drank warm water. Debris littered the ground as if Candorra's wind had turned his home upside down.

"Wait," faltered Verano. "What's this?" He found the image of a deer's skull amidst the destruction. "Isn't this an idol of spirit worship?"

"W-W-Where did you see this?" The man pulled the idol away.

"Hey, it's there too!" Commented Arnaud kicking a brick off the ground and noticing more image. "It's everywhere."

"Oh, no, it was supposed to be hidden. The explosion must have exposed it all. This is a horrible day!" Cursed the baker. "Please, I'll give you anything for you to do not tell the Inquisitors! What do you want?"

Arnaud's eyes shined.

"First of all, I want a two-months supply of-"

"Do all people hide image of the Spirits of the Deep in their homes?" Asked Verano.

"Most, sir," the man faltered. "Traditions don't die with laws. We all have family who died in the sea and the older ones remember the days when the Northmen ruled these lands. It's in our blood and that's not easy to change. All we can do is to hide it."

"I know what you mean…" Verano frowned at his necklace. "But hey," he smiled at the baker. "Maybe bread is too hard to make. Have you ever thought about, I don't know..." He smiled. "Growing _cabbages_? They just seem to fit you more."

"C-Cabbages?" The baker's eyes shined as if he looked into a bright treasure. "Of course! They are tasty and easy to grow! I would not even need this stupid guild training! I love cabbages!"

"They are great with tomatoes." Remarked Candorra.

"Yes! Cabbages are great with it all! And _my_ cabbages will be just something else! How could I be so dumb?"

The sound of armored steps crawled into the room. Count Otto's loud voice echoed from the outside:

"What's going on in there?"

Verano pummeled the idols of the Spirits of the Deep. Fire sprung off his fists and consumed the imagery.

"Nothing," he replied as Count Otto entered the ruins. "There was an accident with the furnace. We had to stop and help."

"I see..." He noticed that Verano kept his necklace unhidden. "I heard that King Heinrich and his uncle King William are waiting for you. Why don't you show them your beautiful piece of kamaritan jewelry?" Chuckled the Count. "Might remind our Lord of the man who killed his father and grandfather."

"I'm always grateful for your advice, Count Otto." Remarked Verano standing up and bowing in respect to the baker. "Let's go, Arnaud and Candorra."

"Take care, De Sforza." The Count smirked with malice.

Verano, Candorra and Arnaud arrived at a carriage standing by the gates of the castle of Londinium. A scrawny old man looked at plants scattered around the ground through lenses while King Heinrich sat inside the vehicle with Johann Martel by his side.

"The sons of the Marshall are here, your majesty." Announced a soldier.

"Good. Introduce the zigana to my uncle so we can get this done with." Said King Heinrich crossing his arms in the carriage.

Verano, Arnaud and Candorra approached the vehicle.

"W-Where's King William?" Asked Arnaud looking left and right.

A soldier walked by his side and whispered in his ear:

"You see that man looking at the plants with a scope?"

"Yeah," he chuckled at the old character as he smelled the leaves of the herbs. "What an idiot."

"He's King William of Alba."

"Wait, what? That fool?" Arnaud recoiled and his voice caught the attention of King William. "I mean, honorable natural philosopher with great curiosity about the miracle of life." He bowed down to the man.

"No, no, no, children; no formalities for me!" Exclaimed the King laying his sights on Candorra's fox ears. " _I_ should bow to you! Just look at this thing. A Zigana, yes!" He rose his fists in excitement. "We got a Zigana!" He watched her tail wag and her fox ears tremble. "Very _definitely_ a Zigana."

"Guys," Candorra faltered. "I feel uncomfortable."

"What's your name, oh glorious daughter of man and spirit?" Inquired the King as he painted his pages with notes. He walked around Candorra observing her like a monument.

"I-I-It's Candorra."

"Candorra, adult female specimen. Intact." He corrected her. "Maybe fertile."

She recoiled:

"Verano, he's calling me things."

"No bad things. You're _amazing_. Don't bother with what these superstitious ignorant cavemen say-" He pointed at Verano and Arnaud as representation of all Fire Knights. "Being a Zigana is no curse, my lady. It's a blessing for academic studies! Look at you," he pulled her eyelid down. "Stupid monks are scared of dealing with your kind. Fools! You'll look _so_ perfect in my collection. I shall write a thousand books on you!"

King Heinrich glanced at Verano and Arnaud:

"Better leave those two be for a while. He'll be taking notes of her for hours, it seems. Come in and sit down, this armor must be torturing your legs."

"What about the burial?" Inquired Verano.

"He already forgot about it, why should we remember? He's the King, they'll wait for him."

Candorra rose her voice as they entered the vehicle:

"Keep me in sight!" She begged as King William measured her arms.

Arnaud sat down in the carriage and rested. He and Verano faced Johann Martel and King Heinrich.

"Thank you," gasped Arnaud as he glanced at the King of Alba outside the wagon. "He's different from what I thought."

"What do you mean?" Asked Heinrich as he ate an apple.

"He's always portrayed as this large, old and wise warrior carrying a shield the size of a man. He's the son of the former Emperor, right? I thought he looked like one."

Heinrich chuckled.

"My uncle never lifted a blade in his entire life." He glanced at William. "He just thinks of himself as a natural philosopher and writes papers studying nature. He's just a joke."

"Then how come he's the King of Alba?" Faltered Verano glancing at the tombstones dotting the landscape. "Isn't this place the most violent in the entire Empire?"

"Do you think he knows?" Giggled Heinrich. "He's a tool, you dummies. A puppet with no real power. All he needs to do is to stay alive so he votes me Emperor in the Imperial Diet." He threw his apple off the carriage. "So we let him have his meaningless hobbies and live in his sheltered castle. He even thinks the people love him because we pay a couple actors to kiss his feet. Even his papers on natural philosophy are a joke that no cleric takes seriously. Yet we pretends that he's a world-changing philosopher."

"And the _Northmen_?"

"He doesn't know they are a threat. We never tell him of casualties." He glanced at a sapphire ring in the shape of a fish around his uncle's middle finger. "We've been handling everything for years now. The taxes, the naming of counts and barons, the distribution of land, the incidents revolving around spirits, you name it. Alba is ruled from Aarchen and that is not going to change. My uncle just has to sit down and relax in the spectacle that we stage for him."

"That's not real life." Sighed Verano. "What if he rebels someday?"

"What's he gonna do?" Chuckled King Heinrich. "How many soldiers you see the orange mantle of Alba and how many wearing the red of Aachen? Who do you think builds the castles, keeps the commoners afraid, care for the Wall of Siegfrieda and repels the _Northmen_ raids? _We_ , Aarchen, do it for him. And we might turn all our work against my uncle if he tries to rebel. It's either us or the _Northmen_."

"This is not right." Frowned Verano clenching his fists on his thigs.

"How can you tell me what is right and wrong, squire?"

"You recruit us saying we are coming here _to defend our Penitent brothers_ , not to keep a King and his people hostage."

"Verano!" Recoiled Arnaud. "He's our sovereign! Can't talk like that!"

"It's fine," smiled King Heinrich feeling pleasure from Verano's disgust. "Not everyone understands that the ends justify the means."

"What ends?" Inquired Verano.

"So I can kill the sand bastard who wore a necklace just like yours when he murdered my father."

Verano frowned at his jewel.

"Did you..." He glanced at his master, Johann Martel. "Did you know about all of this?"

King Heinrich laughed:

"Are you kidding? He created this plan with my mother when I was just a child: subtly take over Alba's protections, marry the queen of Badajoz once she reaches the age and then force Litvia to accept me as Emperor of the Holy Flame."

"Is this right," Verano swallowed dry as he faced Johann. "Master?"

"You must understand that our enemies are united. If we are not, we'll fall."

"It all makes sense now..." He frowned. "Dad was right. Yet things are somehow worse than he assumed. Please," Verano opened the gate of the carriage. He noticed that the night had fallen like a soft veil outside. "Permission to leave."

"Do as you may." Grinned the King.

Verano left the carriage to catch some air.

"I've always knew," chuckled King Heinrich. "From the moment I saw him for the first time, I knew we were destined to beat horns for our entire lives. Luckily, you're the heir of the Duchy of Sforza," he touched Arnaud's shoulder and calmed the boy. "Verano will just fade into obscurity as anyone with his silly morals does. He's no one in the Wild Lands. And this is a world for the cruel. It's better if he learns that early in his life."

Verano stood in a balcony and observed the North Sea. A veil of mist engulfed the waters while the full Moon reigned on the sky. He pulled a pen from his vests and addressed another letter to his sister. His pen moved as if his thoughts slid off the feather:

 _Marzia,_

 _My fears have been confirmed. Although I've had some great adventures, I'm ready to come home. We were never in Alba to defend anyone but King Heinrich of Aarchen's ambition. When the people looked at us with fear, they did so rightfully._

 _He says that we are here to protect this place from the Northmen, but who's protecting this land from us? The Northmen will never give up and so our majesty will never run out of excuses to occupy these territories._

 _I'm ready to fulfill my promise and come back to you. I'll convince Arnaud by tomorrow. We'll be back and nothing will stop us-_

A boulder flew against the balcony.

"Argh-" Bemoaned Verano as he threw himself on the ground to escape the destruction. The stone mauled the castle like a hammer. "What the hell?" Inquired Verano as he rose his head from the debris. The sound of dozens of bells deafened him.

Yet he distinguished the voice of a soldier yelling at the top of his lungs:

" _Northmen!_ By the thousands! _Northmen! Northmen!"_

Verano rose from the ground. The sound of thunderous drums guided him to the hole on the wall that the boulder had opened. A shiver crawled down his spine.

The sails of the _Northmen's_ ships were so many that they eclipsed the mist.

 **Fragments of Lore**

 _The Northmen do not fear death_. Those who die in the depths of the sea are believed to be devoured by the Spirits of the Deep and brought to Val Hella, the realm of Spirits. There, they will rest until the _Ragnarok_ : when the Spirits of the Deep rise from the sea to drown the _Wild Lands_. The greatest insult to the _Northmen Waterbenders_ is being buried under the ground because that means their connection to the Spirits is broken. That was exactly what former Emperor of the Holy Flame Lettow did: thinking himself as merciful, he buried his enemies in the Penitent faith with tombstones and prayer to the Grey Guardian. It was the start of the longest war in the history of the _Wild Lands_.


	11. VIII - The Avatar Awakens

"The _Northmen_ are on the coast!" Shouted Count Otto as all the bells of the castle echoed his call. "Take King William away!"

He thrusted his fist against the clouds and a blaze in the shape of a dragon lightened the night sky.

"This can't be..." Faltered King Heinrich as he opened the gates to his carriage and faced King William. "Get in, uncle! Fast!"

"No way!" He replied as he measured Candorra's tail. "I've only just begun with _it-_ "

A droplet of water with the size of a brick descended from the sky and mauled the stone ground.

"What the hell!" Recoiled King William embracing Candorra. He rose his head to the sky and more water descended upon the shores like a rain of arrows.

"I'll guard you!" Said Candorra raising her harp against the sky. Yet a blaze from Heinrich turned the water stones into vapor.

"Will you come or will I have to drag you here?" He groaned as he faced his uncle. Heinrich gritted his teeth. The royal jewelry and colors on King William lost all luster and importance. He glared at his uncle as if he faced a child. He suspended the acting.

"O-Okay!" Faltered King William running to the carriage with Candorra in arms. Johann Martel and Arnaud, who shared the carriage with William, pulled them in and the vehicle rushed down the bridge to Eastham.

The rain of water bricks mauled the land and damaged the terrain. The horses faltered and the vehicle trembled.

"How the hell can it rain like this?" Asked Arnaud.

"This is not rain..." Replied Johann Martel with a frown. "This is the first step of a raid." He rose his head towards the coast and saw the sails of _Northmen_ ships appearing and fading in the mist. "They know that the movement of the mounts make the Fire Knights stronger. They harass the terrain so that horses can't move with ease-"

A water brick pierced through the ceiling of the carriage and fell between Arnaud's legs.

"So close! Cielo!" He held his own heart and gasped. "Verano, did you see that..." He noticed his brother had stayed behind in the castle. "Crap, Verano's not here! We gotta come back for Verano!"

"Be the hero you wanna see..." Smirked King Heinrich glancing at the wild rain mowing down the bridge and pummeling soldiers against the ground.

Arnaud stuck his head out of the carriage and faced the destruction. His lips trembled:

"No, Verano!"

A water projectile descended from the sky and dove into the boy. Arnaud rose his head and all he saw was the water about to crush his skull.

"Damn it!" He rose his hands to defend his head.

Verano unmade the water projectile with a flame. He stretched both arms to propel himself onto the sky and landed onto the wagon.

"A-Are you alright?" He frowned at Arnaud while he balanced himself on the carriage.

"Y-Yes..." Faltered Arnaud as he noticed more projectiles rained from the sky. "Behind you, bro!"

Verano rose his hands to the sky and formed a fire umbrella upon the vehicle.

Candorra jumped in excitement with the sight.

"Verano's awesome, isn't he, blindy guy?" She glanced at Johann Martel who had a smirk on his face.

"Average," he glanced at the coast to the far east. Only 600 meters away, Fire Knights ran to the beaches and formed an human wall to defend against the Northmen ships about to ram the sand. "The rain is only the beginning. If the raiders are playing by the book, we'll see a-"

"Tidal wave." Completed Verano. His eyes widened as he saw Northmen Waterbenders springing towards the stem post of their ships. A huge wave brewed beneath their ships. "Brave yourselves!"

A water wave sprung off the sea and swallowed the land as if the North Sea rose from the ground. The waters pierced through human formations, plowed down buildings and silenced the flames of the Fire Knights and archers who harrassed the Northmen ships.

"I-It'll get here?" Recoiled King William noticing that the wave did not cease. "I'm too smart to die!"

"Brace yourselves!" Shouted Johann Martel as the tidal wave swallowed the carriage and the village around the road.

The waters separated the passengers.

Arnaud rolled unconscious in the wave. Yet he woke up as screams replaced the beating of the _Northmen's_ drums. His eyes opened and he saw himself under a thick mist.

"M-My head, argh-" He stepped into a deep puddle. "Water? Wait, the mist..." He searched his surroundings. "Did they bend the fog onto the village?"

He rose his head and saw that the entire village had turned into a swamp. The tidal wave had filled the holes that the drizzle of water had opened. Puddles and debris dotted the ground. Screams and echoes of clashing blades echoed from all sides of the fog.

"H-Help!" Cried a voice in the mist.

Arnaud towards the call and saw the moonlight reflecting from the tip of an axe. The weapon dove against the ground and a spray of blood sprung of the fallen body.

"Son of a Cagna!" Grunted Arnaud as he rushed to avenge his fallen comrade yet his right leg entered a puddle. "What-"

He felt as if the water were an arm grasping his right foot.

"C-Come on!" Shouted the boy as he struggled to free his leg.

A deep voice crawled from behind his ears:

"Din kamp är med mig."

Arnaud slowly turned around and a fist pummeled his face like a hammer. His body dove against the mud.

"C-Crap!" Bemoaned Arnaud with a hand on his bleeding cheek. He climbed on his knees as the ominous shadow of a tall man walked patiently towards him. "N-Northman?" Inquired the boy as a shiver crawled down his spine, and he walked back. Yet his feet ceased to move. "No," Arnaud told himself as he swung his head. "I'm not running away, not again," he recalled the day when Verano took responsibility for sneaking into their father's basement. "I'm a Sforza," he used his imagination to fill the empty mist with the judgmental stares of his father and Marzia. "This name means something! I'll fight!"

Arnaud held his clan's sword with the right hand and punched a blaze against the Northman with his free hand.

Yet his foe disappeared in the mist. Arnaud recoiled:

"What-"

An axe emerged from the fog to tear his chest in half.

"Argh!" Arnaud gritted his teeth and defended the Northman's strength with his blade. Yet his enemy's monstrous strength tore the boy's sword in half and sent him flying against the mud.

"He almost broke my hand..." Bemoaned Arnaud as he opened his eyes again. "I think he bended the fog to surround me before he attacked. What _is_ this guy—"

The Northman grasped Arnaud's neck and rammed the boy's back against a tree.

"Argh!" Arnaud screamed in pain.

"Your last thought should be of your home, vilde..." Said the Northman as he rose his axe to claim Arnaud's life.

"I-I..." The boy choked. He accumulated air in his lungs. "I had something else in mind!"

He breathed a cloud of fire on the Northman's face and opened distance between them. His blaze glowed in the mist and marked his position.

"Verano, now!" Yelled Arnaud as his brother's arms emerged from the mist and engulfed the Northman in a scorching cloud of fire.

"Help me!" Shouted Verano with his arms stretched. Endless flames seemed to escape through the palm of his hands.

"I-It's working!" Smiled Arnaud as he repeated his brother's gesture and the burning Northman fell on his knees. "Wait..." Arnaud faltered. "He's healing?"

The Northman laughed as the flames consumed him. A veil of water surrounded his body and shined with a cyan light. His burning wounds healed the moment that they opened.

"Stronger!" Yelled Verano. Blood left his nose with the heat.

"I-I can't…" Arnaud ran out of air and his flames went off.

The Northman sprung from inside Verano's flame and pummeled him against a ruined house.

"You are powerless." Said the Northman as all the flames that devoured him went off. Lustrous cyan water healed all his remaining wounds as he spoke.

"Damn it…" Groaned Verano as he frowned upon the ruins of the fallen house onto where he had fallen. Children's toys and clothes tainted with blood littered the ground. His eyes widened in terror. He rose his body towards his foe. Wooden barbs fell off his bleeding backs. Yet Verano only had eyes for the Northman.

"They were..." He groaned as he glanced towards the ruined homes. "These people were your kin."

"And they served yours." The Northman pulled a second axe to face both brothers at the same time.

"They were innocents!" Replied Verano as he walked away from the debris. The screams of his comrades from the column echoed from all sides of the mist and fueled his rage. His eyes flashed white as he spoke.

The Northman replied with a smirk:

"There are no innocents in this war."

"No! These people…" Faltered Verano. "They were as scared of us as they were of you!"

Arnaud's eyebrows widened with his eyes at his brother:

"B-Bro? Your eyes..."

Verano walked towards the Northman without cowering. Tiny blazes ignited in the air as he walked as if his rage burned.

"I see..." Rustled Arnaud catching his breath as his brother distracted their enemy. He pulled his broken sword from the ground. Flame jumped off the metal and replaced the absent metal.

The Northman teased Verano:

"Come! The Spirits of Deep wait on the tip of my blade. Or..."

Arnaud dove his broken blade against the Northman's back. His foe dropped an axe and grasped the boy's forearm. The blade never reached its target.

"No!" Shouted Verano.

"Or..." Continued the Northman as he grasped Arnaud's arm tighter. "You'll need an incentive."

"No! No! No..." Arnaud closed his eyes as his foe broke his arm. "Ah!"

He screamed at the top of his lungs.

Verano froze. In his imagination, the warm Sun of the Middle Sea and the chill winds from the vineyards replaced the hellish shores of Alba and the smell of smoke and blood. He saw himself as a young teenager as his father, the Duke of Sforza, threatened Arnaud for not being able to bend Fire.

"You will not..." screamed Verano as his eyes flashed white. He gave voice to the memories screaming in his mind. "You will not touch my family!"

Verano's mind returned to him. His eyes glowed brighter than the Moon. Two huge flaming tails escaped the back of his hands and propelled him forward.

"V-Vad?" Recoiled the Northman as Verano invested against the man like a flaming bullet. The boy's shoulder broke through his foe's armor and pushed him like a spear into the forest. The Northman groaned as Verano thrusted his body through the ruins and trees, and into the forest. The man's helmet flew off his head as they plowed through the wilderness. His bones crushed.

"You..." Verano faltered as the propelling flames went off and his feet reached the ground. He saw his enemy laying down ahead of him with a fallen forest behind his back. The boy staggered with a right shoulder that he dislocated during the attack. "You won't..." Verano's eyes flashed white and faded. He pulled the MAV, his sword, with the left hand and a flaming aura engulfed the blade. "You won't touch my family..."

"So the White Wolf has returned to the land of the living to swallow the Moon..." Chuckled the fallen Northman as he faced his enemy. Blood fell off his mouth. "These are truly the _end times_!" He chuckled. "Come, White Wolf, take my life! I shall bring the news to the halls of Val Hella!"

Verano's white eyes faded and he thrusted the MAV towards the his enemy's chest. A flame sprung off the metal and impaled the Northman. The fallen forest around them burned like a great bonfire.

Yet Verano returned to himself and estranged the blood covering his body.

"W-W-What have I?" Hesitated Verano. His vision faltered and his legs weighed. All that he saw was his foe burning. Smoke filled his lungs. "I killed..." The words weighed in his throat. "I killed someone?"

Verano fell on the ground, unconscious. His powers had exhausted him. Time ceased to count and he imagined that the warm ashes were Marzia's lap.

Yet he heard a distant cry:

"Bror!"

"A-Arnaud?" Faltered the boy.

"Bror!" Repeated the voice with a feminine tone.

"M-Marzia?" Faltered Verano as he regained consciousness. He rolled his body so that his head could face the full Moon on the sky. "Marzia, is that you?"

"Bror! Brother?" Cried the voice of a woman who walked over him. His eyes widened as he noticed that she kneeled before the Northman that he had killed.

"Queen Thyra," said an aged Northman warrior. "We found him. This," he frowned upon Verano, "this boy took your brother's life. What do we do with him?"

She rose from the ground with what remained of her dead brother on her arms. The elder insisted:

"Queen Thyra, you must decide his fate."

She turned towards Verano and he recoiled at the blood dying her pale face. Her blue eyes aimed at him like the tip of arrows. She spoke with thunderous wrath as she announced Verano's fate:

"We take him North."

 **Fragments of Lore**

 _The Sea is the Northmen's home_. While raiding grants the slaves and riches that are necessary to sustain the Tribes of the North Sea, the tradition of sailing had mythical beginnings. It's said that the _Spirits of the Deep_ distributed the _Three Rings of Nibel_ across the sea for the _Northmen_ to reunite and bring forth the _Ragnarok_ : when the _Spirits of the Deep_ will rise from the waters and flood the _Wild Lands_ , starting the _Era of the Northmen_. One of the rings is known to belong to the chief of the Eastern North Sea Tribe while the second ring was looted by Holy Emperor Lettow and given to his son King William of Alba. The third ring was never found, yet its search by the _Northmen_ inspired centuries of sacking and looting.


	12. Extra The Avatar Awakening's reactions

**This is NOT AN OBLIGATORY READ**. It does not continue the canonic adventures of Verano.

This _Short_ happens between 'Episode 8 - The Avatar Awakens' and Episode 9. It portrays how the different authorities reacted to the news that the Avatar is alive and has reached the _Avatar State_ for the first time.

* * *

"Your sanctity!" Shouted a Legate in white robbes runs through the burg embracing the Heaven's Shrine with a torch in hands. He roses his hand to contemplate to colossal tower that advanced higher than any human is capable of seeing: the sealed home of the Grey Guardian. "Your sanctity!" He bangs on a door.

"Friar Gustav, where are your manners?" Asked the Grand-Priest's chaplain. "Interrupting your sanctity at this time in the morning?"

"The candles of the ancestors have gone off. They've been called, sir," the young legate's eyes shined with hope as he spoke. "The Avatar is alive. Somewhere in the Wild Lands. The Grand-Priest must call upon an edict for us to find him or her. The prophecy has come true."

"Are you certain, friar?" Inquired the Chaplain.

"Absolutely, sir," tears rolled down his cheek. "It's a miracle. Hear the Song of the Wind! The Avatar's call has echoed across all of the Wild Lands. The prophecy has come true, sir: the Avatar is among us."

"Unbelievable." The Chaplain looked away and faced the horizon from the balcony of the fortress surrounding Heaven's Shrine. "Let's hope it is not too late."

The Chaplain stared into a vast prairie.

Scouts from the Caliphate of Camarilla observed the temple through their lenses.

Far away, in Helika, the city that bridges the east and west, a vizir runs through an endless hallway.

"Your majesty," the Vizir bowed, "Sultan of Helika, son of the Caliph; heir to both world - ours and of the Djinn (how the Spirits are referred to in the Cult of Camarilla) -; conquer of Helika and divine chosen of the Camarilla;" the Vizir began. "The winds have set off all the incense in the Caliphate. A powerful cry roams the heaven and the Earth."

"A new Emperor of the Holy Flame marches against my lands?"

"No, your majesty, worst..." Faltered the Vizir without ever looking his master in the eyes. "The prophecy from 18 years ago has come true. Our astrologists have been warning us but we've chosen to ignore. Yet there is no doubt now: the Masih al Dajjal, whose who the Penitent call _the Avatar_ , has been born and his powers grow. He somehow escaped the13 days search and is somewhere in the Wild Lands."

"This is a catastrophe."

"Mustn't you alarm the Caliph, sir?"

"My father knows of all and everything," the Sultan stood. "I shall visit him, but only with the head of the Masih al Dajjal in my possession. You have permission to send every ship of our fleet to pursue him. Knowing my brothers, the first one to capture the Avatar will inherit the Caliphate. They lust for my position of heir."

"Yes, sir." Replied the Vizir. "Anything else, your majesty?"

"Bring the Avatar alive. I am busy with the rally the greatest army ever assembled on this world," he laid his eyes on Heaven's Shrine in a map. "If the Grey Guardian falls, _no_ Avatar will ever stand in the path of the Holy Caliphate."

In the land of the Sforza, **weeks after** , Marzia lies with Verano's letters as a bed. Yet the doors to her bedroom opened. She sees Duchess Livia with curtains of tears beneath the eyes.

"Mama?" Faltered Marzia. "What is wrong?"

Duchess Livia embraced her daughter.

"They are dead, Marzia," she sobbed. "They are all gone," she held her daughter tighter. "My babies: Verano and Arnaud."


	13. NEW READER? Start here! Plot Summary 2

**Summary of the 1st Arc: Boyhood.**  
(Prologue 'Not All Heroes are Sung' ~ Chapter IV: A Love that Cannot Be)

A woman attempts to flee the Gulf of Misra in the **Caliphate of Camarilla** with a child, an act that the Caliph himself has forbidden for 13 days. Yet she manages to put her baby in a basket and send him across the _Middle Sea_ before she is captured. She named her son "Hadi" (means Leader / Guide) after the man who helped him escape and left a necklace with his name written on her language.

Hadi has a strange connection with spirits and they save him from drowning. They deliver him to the cares of the Duke and Duchess De Sforza, who had no children at that moment. "Verano" is the name that they give Hadi.

Verano is raised with the uptight Marzia and the lazy Arnaud Jr. Their father is rough and often uses physical threats to incentivize their children to mature and follow rules. As an upset for everyone in the Duchy, Verano discovers his capacity to bend Fire (unlikely for a boy with no physical traits of the land) as he defends his brother Arnaud from his father.

Years pass and King Heinrich of Aarchen, the ruler of the Kingdom of Aarchen to which the Duchy De Sforza belongs, is gathering an army to go defend the King of Alba from the vicious Northmen, waterbending Sea Raiders. King Heinrich hopes to conquer the vote from the King of Alba so he becomes Emperor of the Holy Flame someday and unites all Fire Kingdoms to expel the Caliphate of Camarilla off the continent.

Arnaud Jr and Verano show excitement with the idea of discovering new lands and adventuring but Marzia doesn't allow them to go. Verano discovers that they are her only friends and she even confesses to have deeper feelings for Verano than those of friendship. Yet a possible relationship is a taboo since they were both raised as siblings. Marzia gives Verano the sword MAV (Marzia-Arnaud-Verano) as his 17th birthday gift and asks him to promisse her that he'll come back _by the first snow_.

As Verano and Arnaud depart to the north in search of adventure, the Duke sees his sons' naiveté with contempt:

 _"They are walking into hell with smiles on their faces."_

 ** _Summary of the 2nd Arc: Journey_** _  
_ _(Chapter V: When the Heart Lies ~ Chapter VIII: The Avatar Awakens)_ _  
_

Verano, Arnaud and King Heinrich's host's journey to the North begin as they save a village by befriending Candorra, an odd Airbending musician; ad Giovanni, a young boy without any powers besides his talent as engineer.

Candorra, being a passionate musician, starts an avalanche as she plays her instrument. Arnaud, Candorra and Verano fall into a precipice and are saved at the last moment by Johann Martel, a legendary blind Firebender capable of feeling the heat in people's hearts so he knows their desires.

In the depths of the precipice, Verano discovers that a complex modern civilization existed before the Spirits arrived and slowly took over the world.

The gang reaches Alba and are charged with the job of protecting King William of Alba in a trip. Verano discovers that King William of Alba is actually a puppet king whose life is controlled by King Heinrich. Verano feels cheated as he was promissed that this expedition would be to protect people, not to hold a hostage. Verano plans to escape with Arnaud but the _Northmen_ , dangerous waterbending Sea Raiders, arrive at Alba and a huge battle ensues.

Arnaud and Verano engage an extremely powerful waterbender whose water heals his wounds far faster than the brothers are capable to inflict. The Waterbender is about to kill Arnaud and Verano recalls his memories of home. Rage fuels him and he taps on the power of the **Avatar State** for the first time. He beats the Waterbender and does not contain his desire to take his life.

Verano passes out and soon discover that he killed the brother of Queen Thyra, sovereign of the Western Tribe of the North Sea. She decides to bring him to the north and a new journey begins.


	14. Lore - Spirits in the Wild Lands

**You don't need to have been reading the novel to understand this Lore Piece.**

This is a Lore Piece about _how_ Spirits are seen across the many cultures of the _Wild Lands_.

* * *

 **Spirits / Jinn / Djinn**

 _"_ ** _Our Lands?_** _Forget what any egotistical Fire Knight may have told you, Verano; the Wild Lands don't belong to us, it belongs to_ ** _them_** _."_ \- Johann Martel, Spymaster of the Kingdom of Aachen, to Verano de Sforza.

Spirits (called 'The Jinn' by the Eastern) are the most feared beings in the _Wild Lands_. They are extremely powerful and cannot be harmed by any human means. They are volatile because they turn into _Dark Spirits_ (called 'The Djinn' by the Eastern) once they come into contact with negative emotions in human hearts.

 **Once a** _ **Spirit**_ **goes dark, all you can do is to run away as fast as you can.** Thus, as _Spirits_ go dark, humans are often forced to move away. It's said that only 12% of the Wild Lands is actively exploited by humans, since 88% is territory of the Spirits. Some of the largest territories in the known _Wild Lands,_ like the Spirit Steppes and the Sahara Desert, belong to _Spirits_ and inhabiting / crossing their lands is a death sentence.

 _Spirits_ not always inhabited the human world (Chapter 'Ruins of Light'). Once upon a time, humans built complex civilizations with advanced technology and societal structures. **Yet as Spirits moved in, blocked essential resources and forced people out of crowded cities;** all remaining humans flew to surroundings of _Heaven's Shrine,_ where the _Grey Guardian_ would protect them.

When humans were expelled from the Grey Guardian's protection after the _Original Sin_ , they faced Spirits once more. Therefore, every culture had to develop a solution to the _Spirit Problem_.

* * *

 **Spirits in the Empire of the Holy Flame**

 _Humans build Feuds (Fortresses ruled by Fire Knights) to escape the Spirits of the forest_. Spirits are seen as the most malevolent and untrustworthy creatures of the _Wild Lands_ in the Empire of the Holy Flame. The Fire Peoples have fully embraced the _Penitent Faith_ , which forbids all sorts of spirit worshipping / dealing with spirits. **A common death sentence is banishing the miscreant to the wilds** , where death is certain.

 **Children are often told Spirit Tales (equivalent to Fairy Tales)** in order to scare them away from adventuring in the woods. Some of the most common are:

 **\- Little Red Riding Hood** , a tale about a banished grandmother inviting her granddaughter to visit her in the wilds. The girl's parents tell her not to go, yet she disobeys the order. Once the girl arrives, she discovers that a Spirit has possessed her grandmother. The girl never returned home.

\- **Aschenputtel** , a poor girl desires to go to the ball in the castle of the King of Aarchen but she has no clothes thanks to her mean stepmother. She decides to worship a _Spirit_ in exchange of elegant clothes and a carriage. Yet the _Spirit_ betrays the girl and by midnight, when the Prince has fallen in love with her, she is possessed by the _Spirit_ and turns into a monster that kills the Prince and attacks the castle.

\- **Rapunzel** , a rebellious princess lives secluded in her feud without ever being allowed to leave thanks _to the Spirits around_. Once her hair grows long enough, she uses it as a rope and manages to climb out. She never returned home.

The Inquisitors from the **Church of Heaven's Shrine** , however, have found a way to combat _Spirits_ that does not involve hiding from them. T **hey use Airbending to look the** _ **Spirits**_ **into caskets and take them to the** _ **Sanatarium**_ , a secret monastery where the Airbenders experiment with pacifying spirits.

* * *

 **The Jinn and Djinn in the Caliphate of Camarilla**

Before _The Guide_ (known today as 'The Caliph') unified the _Earthbending Tribes_ based on his self-created faith and language, the worship of the _Jinn_ (how the Eastern Earthbenders call Spirits) was common. The _Guide_ 's religion (The Cult of the Moon) outlawed the worship of all _Spirits_ , yet their use in war was never forbidden.

 **The Guide himself taught the Earthbenders how to create receptacles called** _ **Lamps**_ **into where the weaker** _ **Jinn**_ **could be imprisoned and then liberated as weapons.** While most _Earthbenders_ can create _Lamps_ , only very skilled _Airbenders_ (incredibly rare in the Caliphate) and _Sandbenders_ _(like those of the Caliph's lineage)_ can imprison the _Jinn_ in them.

The Guide went beyond just imprisoning _Spirits_. During his fight with Emperor of the Holy Flame Lettow, it is said that he could free the Jinn in his lamps, turn them into Djinn (Dark Spirits) and still control them as if they were an element under his control.

 **Many** _ **Jinns**_ **have managed to leave their** _ **Lamps**_ **, however.** They find ways to deceive fools with the promise of making their wishes come true in exchange for freedom.

* * *

 **Spirits in the Tribes of the North Sea**

 _ **The Tribes of the North Sea were founded on Spirit Worship**_ **.** It is said that when the _Original Sin_ happened and humans were expelled from _Heaven's Shrine_ , the ancestors of the _Tribes of the North Sea_ were sent to live on a floating platform of ice without neither water, nor food. Then the _Spirits of the Deep_ answered their prayer and saved them, thus beginning a cult that remains to this day.

While the _Northmen_ are fond of _Spirits_ , they also face conflicts with _Spirits_ of the wild. Their solution is simply backing off. **Instead of looking for resources in their own lands, the** _ **Northmen**_ **prefer to sack the foreign territories so that they sustain their society without any conflicts with the** _ **Spirits.**_

Their connection to the _Spirits_ is so strong that when a _Northman_ dies, he/she believes that they will go to **Val Hella** , the mythical _Spirit World_ that is believed to exist in the far north. In **Val Hella** , the _Northmen_ will wait until the End Times / the Ragnarok: when the Spirits of the Deep rise from the sea to flood the Wild Lands and begin the Age of the Northmen.


	15. IX - The Ice Queen

"I-It's Val-Hella! The realm of Spirits!" Shouted a scrawny Fire Knight sitting on a Northmen boat. His voice awakened Verano. "Look at that! It's real!"

"W-What is going on?" Inquired the boy as he opened his eyes. Water shackled tied his body. His head was dazzed yet the northern lights painting the sky brightened his sights. He saw a colossal beacon of light reaching from the depths of the earth to the heart of the clouds. "The Northern Lights..."

"Silence! Inspärr!" Yelled a Northman tightening the water shackles binding their bodies. Their chains were like tentacles leaving his right arm. "Queen Thyra will speak!"

A fleet of Northman ships surrounded them in silence. They waited patiently for their ruler to raise her voice.

"Argh..." Bemoaned Verano, in pain. The cold wind tortured him and the absence of Arnaud was even colder. "Marzia..." he uttered to himself. The beauty of the sky reminded him of her. Yet his eyelids weighed.

Thyra, a beautiful blonde with blue eyes and full armor, walked towards the stempost of the ship. Her face was clean from all the blood that tainted her in Alba.

"Spirits of the Deep," she begun, "Vi har kommit från fjärran för att hedra er alla!"

"We came from far to honour you..." Translated a female squire with short black hair. "She's speaking the language of the Spirits."

"How do you know, Áine?"

"I'm from Alba."

Queen Thyra continued:

"Dessa människoffer är ett tecken på tacksamhet för dig välkomna våra fallna bröder i Val-Hella!"

"This _männis-something_ is a token of gratitude for you have welcomed our fallen brothers in Val-Hella..." Faltered Áine. "I think that's what she said, Juan."

"What's a människoffer?" Asked Juan from Badajoz. Half his face was burned.

 _"_ I don't know, Juan!" Recoiled Áine.

"I thought you knew their language! How can't you know that?"

"You barely know your own and you wanna lecture me about what I should and should not know?"

"Guys..." Faltered Verano. The ship trembled beneath them. The Northmen laughed.

"I think you are full of crap, Áine!" Continued Juan. "If you can't translate something, don't say you can!"

"You know what? Next time I should just let you die and keep my mouth shut."

"That'd be a change!"

The Northmen left the ship as Queen Thyra glared at Verano. His ship slowly dove into the cold waters.

"Argh..." Bemoaned Verano as the North Sea's gelid water spiked his legs.

His partners quarreled, obviously unaware:

"You're a spaniard pig, you knew that?" Teased Áine.

"Didn't you say you were gonna shut up, perra? You even looked pretty with a closed mouth."

"You filthy spaniard-"

"Stop, you two!" Shouted Verano. "We are the sacrifice, can't you see?"

The Northmen bended water into Verano's, Áine's and Juan's boat. Eerie chants to the Spirits of the Deep echoed from the mist. Cold water reached their waists and froze them.

"W-W-What we are expected to do?" Faltered Juan.

"S-Survive!" Verano rose his mouth as high as he could. "I can't die here, I can't..." He closed his eyes and thought of Marzia. "I can't die-"

Thyra bended a body of water and knocked Verano down. He laid with his head in the water.

"There's enough water inside," said the Northman whose water tentacles binded the three prisoners. He faced the sinking ship. "Queen Thyra, just push the boat down and end the suffering of the vildes."

"No, Joël," she crossed her arms as she glared at the drowning Verano. "He shall freeze on the surface."

"This that you give him is not a warrior's death. This is not about the Spirits..." He frowned. "It's about you."

Thyra watched indifferent as Verano agonized while Áine and Juan dragged their bodies together as the coldness devoured them.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry for being so rude," faltered the boy. His pale became white like snow.

"I-I-If we gon-gonna d-die now," she sobbed. "I-I don't want to die alone."

Verano eyes flashed white as he felt his heart stopping with the cold.

"Halls of Val-Hella, what is that?" Faltered a Northman.

"I can't," uttered Verano throwing a stare as cold as the ice against Thyra. "I can't die here."

His eyes flashed white. He opened his mouth and a cloud of fire sprung against her. Thyra rose her fists and three columns of water rose. The flames collapsed against them and a cloud of vapor white glow in Verano's eyes faded and Thyra bended water into his mouth like a muzzle.

"H-He's the Fenrhir! The _White Wolf_!" Exclaimed Joël as he took his helmet off. A beard as tall as the man sprung off his face. "I can't believe this. Queen Thyra, suspend this now!"

She gasped loud.

"Continue with the tribute," she ordered with her shield over her chest, "now!"

"No!" Yelled an elderly voice. An old woman holding a staff walked towards Thyra. A tiny spirit sat on her shoulder. "The Mouth of Val-Hella says the boy must live!"

Thyra faltered.

"Mother, please..."

"Queen Mother of the Western Tribe of the North Sea," she corrected Thyra, "interpreter of the Spirits and guardian of the traditions of our people! The matters of the Spirits of the Deep belong to the staff, not to the blade! I order you lower your weapons and suspend this sacrifice!"

Thyra sheathed her blade. She glanced towards the ship. Juan, Áine and Verano had already lost consciousness.

"You won't get away, boy," she tightened her fists. "You won't."

Verano woke up in a cell. His body shivered. He squeezed his eyes to face who stared at him.

"W-Where am I?" He asked.

A bucket of cold water slapped his face.

"Stand," ordered Thyra."You might have gotten lucky at the sea, but you will be my slave now," she frowned. "I'll make you wish you had died on that boat."

Verano slid his hands across his clothes as if ants crawled on his body.

"What is he doing?" Asked a Northman.

"Here!" Gasped Verano in relief. A stained map remained in his clothes. He frowned upon the center and Marzia's writing was still clear:

" _Just so you never forget where your home is. Your beloved, Marzia_."

"Take him out of the cell," ordered Thyra. "Bring him to the furnace."

"The Fenrhir hasn't yet recovered-"

"Stop calling him the _Fenrhir_."

"I'm sorry, Queen Thyra," faltered the Northman. "The _slave_ hasn't yet recovered from the Cold Disease. He might die..."

"Better." She smirked towards Verano who struggled to stand. His olive skin was white like snow. "Mother can't blame me if a cold wind kills him, can she?"

Thyra bended a leech and binded the boy's neck. She pulled him upwards and dragged him across a hallways of cells.

"V-Verano!" Shouted a Fire Knight with his hands on the metal bars of a cell. "Save us, Verano!"

"It's Verano, look! Shouted a priestess of the Church of Heaven's Shrine. "Blessed be the Guardian, the Avatar has come to free us!"

"Verano! Verano!" Cheered a Fire Knight. "Save us, figlio!"

Verano lowered his head as if the hopes of all those people weighed upon his shoulders. He muttered to himself:

"The _Avatar?_ What?"

Thyra dragged him out of the dungeon and light invaded his eyes. Verano rose his hands to cover the Sun yet the light came from the veils of snow that covered the land. Thick wooden walls homed families and Spirits roamed the skies. Every face in the town covered the windows and balconies to face him.

"The Fenrhir..." Muttered a local with her hand over her mouth. "Are the End Times upon us?"

"Is it true a kid like him can Waterbend?" Chuckled a Northman. "Don't make me laugh."

Thyra dragged him towards a huge pit and pushed him against the ground. He rose his head and saw a burning chaldron with weapons inside. Firebenders punched fire against the wood beneath the metal to fuel the flames.

"These weapons..." Faltered Verano as he stood up. "They are the ones that you use to kill _us_ ," he referred to the Fire Peoples. "Why are we helping-"

Thyra pushed him agains tthe ground again.

"The two who are laziest are sacrificed to the Spirits of the Deep. And you can bet, Fenrhir, Avatar or whatever they think you are..." She unsheathed her blade and the tip of the sword kissed his chin. "I know you are a murderer and that's all you are."

Verano turned his head away as the Queen left. He rose his sights to look around him and all he saw were older Fire Knights. He wondered how many of them already had their names on tombstones. They smiled at him and punched fire to fuel the chaldron.

"No," sobbed Verano. Tears rolled down his eyes. "I can't end like this. Marzia, she will..."

"Brother?"

Verano heard's Arnaud voice and a smile sprung off his face.

He rose to hug his brother yet Arnaud pushed him back.

"Shh!" He looked around. Elegant clothes and a moose's skull covered Arnaud's head like a helmet.

Two Northmen passed by and inspected the other Firebenders.

"Arnaud, you are alive!" Verano sighed in relief. "Your arm is..."

"Of course I'm alive! You saved me, man! You are awesome!"

"H-How come?"

"Don't you remember? The ancestors called you and you destroyed that Northman. It was epic!"

"W-What are these clothes?"

"Long story. The granny, the old woman, the Queen Mother..." Arnaud swallowed dry, "she thinks I'm her deceased husband."

"That's..." Verano faltered. "Nice?"

An eerie elderly voice roamed around the village:

"Odoacer, where are you?"

Arnaud coldened.

"Please help, Verano," he held his brother's shoulder. "You're the only one who can."

"Me?" Verano chuckled. "Why _me?_ I'm almost dead."

"You can Waterbend! You can Airbend! You can anybend!"

"W-What?"

"You see those people over there?" He pointed at armored people swinging blades and bending water. "They are there for the Rites of War. The Northman do not have nobles and plebs like us. "They believe that any Waterbender who can survive the rites can be one of them. If you master their element, I'm sure you will."

"Arnaud, I can't waterbend!"

"Of course you can! You can firebend, airbend, anybend! You're the _Avatar!_ Don't you remember?"

"This must be a mistake," chuckled Verano, "I'm not this _Avatar_. There is no Avatar, don't you remember what dad used to say?"

"Yes, there is one! Dad was full of crap!" Arnaud embraced his brother. "You are the Avatar! And you will take us away back home! Back to Marzia and mom! And food that does not taste like ice!"

Verano felt his brother's tears warming his shoulder. He felt the expectations of all those slaves weighing upon his shoulders and crushing him.

"And there's more," Arnaud continued. "Hell, if you are the Avatar, you're gonna wipe them all! Nobody can stop you! Just like that witch Queen's brother got wiped."

"Wait, what?" Faltered Verano.

"You killed him, don't you remember?"

"It was a nightmare, wasn't it? I only remember thrusting my sword..."

"You _destroyed_ that guy. And an entire forest. If we can get away from here, you can even kill the Caliph too. Cielo, you can change the world! Heinrich's tigress will look like a kitten next to you..."

Verano frowned, confused. He could not understand why the slaves glared at him and why Arnaud could not stop talking about his amazing future. The calls for help from his jailmates echoed in his head. He heard what he was supposed to do yet the blood from Thyra's brother weighed on his arms. His joyful face after meeting his brother collapsed into despair. Verano faltered:

"I never..." He sobbed. "I'm sorry, Arnaud. I'm not the Avatar," Verano's lips trembled, "I can't be. That ain't me. I just want to go home. I can't decide what's the best for me, how can I decide for anyone else? I can't decide who lives and who dies..."

"Wait, you are feeling _sorry_ for what happened in Alba? He was gonna kill both of us. And his sister is no better. If you stay a slave, she'll just find a way to kill you, man! Wake up!"

"It's that..." Verano faltered as she thought about Thyra. "I'd be doing the same if it had been you or Marzia who died."

"Whatever, bro, listen," Arnaud looked left and right. "You're gonna survive Thyra; learn that element, pass those rites and get us back home. You may think that you can't..." he smiled. "But I _know_ that you can. We do not choose our destinies. I did not choose to be born this handsome, but it just happened! And your destiny is to be the _Avatar_. If you can't do this for yourself, do it for _her_."

An elderly voice spoke loud:

"Odoacer, I think I hear you!"

Arnaud swallowed dry as he embraced his brother for a last time:

"Do it for me!"

The Queen Mother dragged the boy away as Verano stored as much as he could from his brother's faith.

Verano stared at a distant Thyra who watched over her village from the balcony of the warlord's palace. She gazed morosely upon those who died in the invasion of Alba. He grasped the map that Marzia had given him. They spoke at the same time:

"Nothing will stand in my way."

 **Fragments of Lore**

 _Every culture understands the coming of the Avatar in a different manner._ The _Empire of the Holy Flame_ follows the Penitent doctrine from the _Chuch of Heaven's Shrine._ They believe that the Avatar is a positive entity who will bring peace and fairness to the world. The _Caliphate of Camarilla_ follows the Caliph's _Cult of the Moon_ which describes the Avatar as the _Masih al Dajjal_ (False Prophet): a liar who will deceive the peoples with the promise of peace. The _Tribes of the North Sea_ believe the Avatar to be the Fenrhir, _the White Wolf:_ half human and half Spirit. In the northern legends, the _White Wolf_ is supposed to swallow the Moon and start the events of the _Ragnarok_ (the End Times).


	16. X - A Great Temptation

"Fire!" Shouted a Northman beating his fist against a drum. A circle of enslaved Fire Knights punched fire into a caldron. Vapor rose from the water in the recipient and moved the machines of the Northmen on a floor above the slaves' heads.

"This is ridiculous..." Snorted a short Firebender as he fell on his knees. "I can't breathe down here," he gasped, "H-How am I supposed to do this?"

"Stand up, hombre!" Exclaimed Juan, his fellow comrade in bondage. "Either you fight the water now or you fight death later. There is no fleeing from the fight, Gavrila! So stand up!"

Áine, yet another captive, recoiled. She faced Juan:

"This was actually pretty..."

"Please don't start fighting again," begged Gavrila, "you two will only make things worse!"

"I was just gonna say _pretty poetic_. For a spaniard, at least." Finished Áine.

"But I am a minstrel!" Juan meddled with his tiny moustache. "What a tragedy will fall upon these Wild Lands if I am to die in these shackles surrounded by anglo louts and steppe bumpkins..."

"I don't know what those words mean." She faltered.

"You're lucky you don't."

"Anyways," she shoved the sweat off her forehead. "Verano's gonna save us, Gavrila," she held her partner. "Don't give up now! Verano will find a way. Just survive 1 or 2 months and-"

Verano collapsed upon the ground like a tree trunk.

"Maybe 3 or 4." She corrected herself.

"Damn it, Verano!" Groaned Gavrila. "We gotta-"

"Fire!" Shouted the Northman beating both fists against a drum.

Flames sprung from the circle of captives and turned the water at the center into vapor. Yet the silence from Verano's fist bothered the Northman. He rose from his seat and dove his boot against Verano's leg.

"Argh!" Verano spilled blood.

"He's sick?" Asked Juan.

Áine glanced at Gavrila. She corrected herself once again:

"5 months max. No problem."

The Northman rose him from the ground by the hair. Verano's heart pumped in his chest like a bell in a whirlwind.

"Sick," chuckled the Northman, "Thyra's gonna love this."

"Oh, no..." Gavrila pulled his own hair. "Verano's gonna die?"

"Nah," faltered Áine. She grasped to the last inch of hope in her imagination. "J-Just give him 7 months. He'll make it, I'm sure!"

The Northman rose his hand to a fellow Waterbender:

"This is today's bad kid," he threw Verano towards the other man's arms, "take him to his cell," his chuckle revealed his black teeth. "Thyra'll take the kid to _the mines_ tomorrow. Good bye, _Fenrhir."_

"No, Verano, please!" Shouted Gavrila as he watched his last hope leaving the forge without light in his eyes. "You can't die!"

"What horrible fate has fallen upon us!" Cried Juan.

"No, please," uttered Áine with tears in her eyes. "I wanna see my little bro again. I can't stay here forever-"

Verano opened his eyes and thrusted his fist towards the water. A cloud of fire sprung and lightened the furnace, as well as the hope inside his comrades' hearts.

"See, guys?" Áine giggled. "I told you! Verano wouldn't just abandon us!"

"Back to work!" Shouted the Northman with black teeth as Verano distanced himself.

The restored excitement in his friends' voices opened a smile in the boy's expression.

"You shouldn't have done that, _Fenrhir_." Said the Northman who carried him to his cell. "This disease eats you from inside. You should not waste energy."

"They-" Verano coughed. "I'm the last thing they have."

"They are _selfish_ ," described the man. "Is that how they describe those who only care for themselves in your language?" He continued. "A Northman never lets himself be carried by his allies. We know all arms must row together to fight the waves. That's how we grow stronger. Our comrades will someday depart to Val-Hella but the waves will forever be there. How would we fight waters by ourselves if all we did was to sit and watch when our comrades were there to help us?"

"Self-sacrifice is important for a Fire Knight..."

"Said those who stayed alive."

Verano chuckled. He had heard similar words from his father, the cold Duke de Sforza.

"W-What's your name?" Faltered the boy facing the man who carried him.

"Börn." Replied the Northman as he rested Verano into the cell.

"Börn," repeated Verano as blood flowed down the edge of his lips, "You guys got odd names. I guess you must say the same about us, right?"

The Northman smirked as he locked the cell and walked away from the dungeon.

Verano frowned and rose his fist towards his chin. The sight of his own blood terrorized him like nothing that he had ever seen before.

"Verano?" A voice crawled from the darkness in the cell. "D-Did they hurt you?"

"I think I'm sick, Flavius," Verano showed the blood on his fist to his cellmate, "I really don't function in the cold-"

"It is my fault," faltered Flavius as he crawled out of the darkness. His face was red like a strawberry. He wore the robes of a priest. "The Queen locked us together so you'd get sick, probably."

"It was not your fault," coughed Verano, "we get sick because of bad Spirits hiding in the dirt, not people."

"That is not true. _We_ ," he referred to the Church of Heaven's Shrine, "we just tell people that so they'll wear shoes and wash their hands."

"I was gonna die without knowing that…" Smirked Verano in a cynical manner. He glanced towards the tiny window of the cell. "The Song of the Wind. What is it saying about Marzia?"

"You ask that every day. All I hear is her cry. Especially at noon."

"We used to pick herbs together at noon," reminisced Verano as if he could feel the Duchy's warm Sun behind his backs instead of the cold prison floor, "grass looked all the same to me but she had quite a good eye. And Candorra and Giovanni?"

"I hear a Zigana's harp coming from Alba all the time."

"It's Candorra. I'm glad she is fine..." Verano coughed and covered his mouth. Blood still tainted his skin. "There was a tea that Marzia and Father Seneca made me every winter. It healed me. Lavender, three leaves of Cornelion and a flower of Ribiscus... I remember as if it were yesterday."

"Saint Dundé's tea..." Remarked Flavius. "Maybe we should find a way to ask your brother Arnaud for help? These ingredients can be found here."

"I don't want to disappoint him," Verano sobbed. "He expects his big brother to be the _Avatar_ , not some moribund. I must, argh-" Verano struggled to sit on the ground. He rose his hand towards the water in a bucket. "I must learn this Waterbending thing." He stretched his arm yet Flavius's hand held him by the pulse.

"Verano, just rest." Ordered the young priest.

"I need to master this. It's our only way out. I learn Waterbending, pass their War Rites and become free..."

"And then you tackle an entire tribe of Waterbenders alone to free your fellow knights?"

"Yes, I mean…" Verano frowned, aghast. He scratched his chin as the young priest's words roamed his head. "Wow. Now I see why Arnaud and I were never famous for our good plans..." He swung his head. "It _is_ a silly idea," he resigned, "how come we believed that?" He referred to the Fire Knights. "It seems so stupid when you put it like that..."

"We must believe in something," smirked Flavius, "if you do not have faith in the future, the present is nothing but torture and suffering."

"Why do..." Verano coughed loud. Blood stained his hands. "Why do we suffer, Flavius? Have we done something wrong? Our parents? Anyone?"

"Sometimes it's our own fault..." Flavius frowned as he grasped a chaplet of the Church of Heaven's Shrine hanging on his neck. "But sometimes it happens so that the miracle of the Guardian can be displayed upon us."

Verano ranted:

"Really? I am dying and I can't ask for help. Everyone looks at me like some sort of savior and I'm just disappointing them every day that passes. I must somehow control the tide, but I can't even lift the water from a glass. I've been here for two months and I still have no idea how the Northman do it. Marzia thinks I'm dead and that she's alone in this world and the only escape plan that I have came from Arnaud. You think that there is miracle waiting for me?" He glanced towards the cells and thought of the other slaves. "For _us_?"

Flavius nodded. He bargained:

"You have a right to be frustrated, but these thoughts will only kill you. You need hope to heal-"

"What about you, Flavius? You've been locked here for years and your health is worse than mine..." Faltered Verano. "You still believe in that that? That this," he referred to the dungeon. "That this happened to you for a greater reason?"

"Every day," he replied with wet eyes, "Everyday, Prince de Sforza," he shoved the tears off his face.

"I'm sorry..." Faltered Verano. "I didn't want to-"

"It is fine. I never doubted that I was here so that I could be part of a miracle. I never allowed myself to do that," grinned Flavius. "And when I saw that I'd share a cell with the Avatar, I finally knew that I was right. You know, Verano, I can call _her..._ " He smirked. "I could reach her in her dreams if she is open enough. Fire Peoples are rough but they soften when they cry."

"You can reach..." His eyes widened. " _Marzia_?"

Flavius nodded.

"You need her." Affirmed the priest. "She's the belief that keeps you going. She's the light in the dark for you, isn't she? When the hope of seeing her vanishes, you go to very dark places."

Verano grinned as he recalled when she held his hand as they walked together in the Forest of the Hanged Doll. He never feared the darkness while in the warmth of her company. The boy confessed:

"Yes, she is. Please, tell her that I'm still here. And that Arnaud is with me. And that no matter how, we'll go home. Please tell her that I haven't forgotten her for a day. No, no," Verano looked left and right for something that he could use to write a letter. "Tell her that..."

" _That_ you have so much to say that you can't even find the words for it?"

"T-That's a good one," Verano coughed, "please tell her that I miss her tea, her company and that I am so sorry that I'm not there with her to see the first snow like I've promised. Tell her that I'll never have any stupid ideas again and I'll just do whatever she tells me to. Also…"

Verano continued as Flavius smiled and nodded. The mention of Marzia brought life back into him. The young priest grasped his chaplet as his friend spoke. He thanked the Grey Guardian that he could mend the Avatar's spirit despite the little time that he had to live.

"And that is all," gasped Verano. He spoke so much that his jaw hurt. "You remember everything?"

"Absolutely." He lied.

"Great! How can I ever pay you back, Flavius?"

"I came here thinking that I could convert the Northmen and I ended up being the Church's first messenger to the Avatar. I already have everything that I wanted."

The doors of the dungeon banged open. Loud steps walked through the hallway. They heard Thyra's voice:

"I hear chit-chatting?" She walked towards the cell and frowned upon Verano. Her arms crossed. "Too sick to work but not to talk with your friend?"

"Han behöver hjälp!" intervened Flavius. "He'll die without your help."

"He doesn't look sick at all," she glanced at the priest; "But you, on the otherhand..."

"Why have you come?" Faltered Verano. He avoided facing her as if he saw the ghost of Erik, her brother whom he had killed, standing beneath the Northwoman.

"I came to see if you'll last until tomorrow. You're going to the mines of the Giants."

"That's unfair!" Protested Flavius. "He's weakened and everyone who goes there ends up..."

"Exactly," she smirked, "yet I'm a merciful woman, _Fenrhir_. As you must know, that little chubby _pet_ that my mother has by her side is quite vocal about you. My men are scared that the Spirits of the Deep might punish us with storms if we kill the _Fenrhir_. As much as I hate you, you've been plotting and agitating the slaves. That exactly what I don't need in the moment. Since my people are too mystical to let me kill you, I want to make an offer."

"What is it?"

"You can leave and never come back…"

Flavius grinned from ear to ear as he shook Verano's shoulders. Thyra continued:

"With one condition," she smirked, "you'll have to leave _alone_."


	17. XI - Betrayal

"You can leave this dungeon and never come back," promised Thyra, "yet there is _one_ condition," she smirked, "you must to leave _alone_."

She faced Verano as Flavius, his dying priest friend, frowned his head in silence.

"N-" Verano faltered. He missed the Sun's warmth on his back and the winds of freedom guiding him back to the Middle Sea. He imagined that he could leave that forsaken land of the Northmen as if nothing happened, and as if he could be just a boy instead of the Avatar. His mind tempted him with reasons to accept Thyra's offer. He listened to whispers in his ears that described him leaving the North and then somehow returning with an army to free his friends alongside Marzia.

"So," Thyra stomped the ground, impatient, "is it a _yes_ or _no_?"

Flavius touched Verano's shoulder:

"I won't judge you, whatever you decide."

Verano could not raise his voice. He knew that he was his friends' last hope and that they would become nothing but tools for the Northmen if he left. The boy closed his eyes and felt the coldness in Thyra's heart. He recalled the teachings of his master Johann Martel about feeling the warmth in people's hearts to read their intentions. He reminisced about Queen Thyra and realized that all that she that did was meant to hurt him. There was no reason to believe the good will of her offer.

"I see," Verano's eyes widened. "All you've done so far is to try torturing my body. Now you want me to betray my brother and my friends so I can die inside as well?" He swung his head. "It's not happening."

"We have the dumbest smartass of the Wild Lands here!" Thyra clapped. "Do you even know the opportunity that you're missing?" She glanced at the aged prisoners who rotted in the dungeon cells. "Are you blind? How can you be sure that I'm just trying to corrupt your soul and kill you from the inside?"

"Because..." Verano looked her in the eyes. "That's exactly what _I_ would be doing to someone who had hurt my brother."

Thyra's smile collapsed as he reminded her of Erik. She grunted and turned her head away from him.

"Then enjoy your night here, _Fenrhir,"_ she walked away, "it will be your last. You're going to the _mines_ tomorrow."

The gates to the dungeon thundered as they closed.

"Flavius," Verano lied down. "what do you know of her?"

"Thyra?"

"Y-Yes..." He coughed.

"Not much. I heard her cry one night through the Song of the Wind."

"Why?"

"She complained that everyone looked at her with the expectation of being the Queen who would reconquer Alba and avenge all the dead. She felt that she could not match their hope and feared that she would disappoint them. Almost like..."

"Me." Completed Verano.

Flavius nodded.

"Go to sleep now, Verano," said Flavius. "I'll stay here meditating. I'll try reaching your sister Marzia now."

"Thank you again," said Verano as his eyes closed. Thyra's voice echoed in his ears. "I hope made the right decision."

Verano slept and dreamed of his home. He saw himself laying down on the warm beaches of the Duchy of Sforza. Marzia's voice echoed across the sand:

"You are here?"

"Marzia?" Faltered the boy lifting his head and searching for her.

"Why did you take so long to come? You promised me that you'd be back before winter."

"Marzia, w-where are you?"

"Look behind you."

Verano turned around. The sunny day faded into a sea of clouds and mist. Thunder echoed from the sea.

"M-Marzia!" Cried Verano as he saw Marzia's body in the sand. An arrow had pierced her chest.

"They're here," she replied as her tears washed the sand. "They've come for you. Look!"

Verano faced the seas and the sails of Northmen ships eclipsed the quiet Sunset from the Duchy of Sforza.

"No," he gritted his teeth, "No! No-"

His eyes opened as two Northmen pulled him from the ground. His dream fell off his eyes like a veil of fabric.

"Hurry up! Queen Thyra's waiting!" Shouted a Northman pulling him towards the gates of the dungeon. The cold winds of the North Sea and the grey Sun welcomed Verano as he saw the exit. "You should've chosen to leave, _Fenrhir_!"

Arms pushed Verano against the ground. He rose his head and saw a column of silent prisoners who had their heads frowned. The Northmen lifted him off the ground and pushed him into the group.

"And stay quiet!" They shouted.

Verano gasped tired. He braced himself against the cold morning of the North Sea. Yet the light from a ship on fire colored the rocks beneath his feet. He rose his head and saw a crowd surrounding a boat in flames. They sang hymns in the language of the Northmen.

"For he was Erik Hüfbar, The Warrior of Stone; may Val-Hella welcome him as the valiant warrior who he was!" Proclaimed the Queenmother of the Tribe as Thyra stood by her side. Verano realized that they celebrated a mass for the man whom he had killed: Thyra's brother, Erik. "So valiant that only the _Fenrhir_ claimed his life," the Queenmother continued. "Now the Mouth of the Spirits shall sing a song in honor of our honorable comrade!"

"Wait, that's Arnaud!" Verano recoiled as he saw his brother stagger towards the crowd with papyrus between the hands.

Arnaud faltered as he faced the crowd in the eyes.

"H-Hi!" He concealed his head beneath the papyrus. "B-Bölümde yer alan..." He butchered the language whenever his mouth moved. "Y-Y-Yer alan... Damn it, how do people even read this?"

Tomatoes flew against him.

"Poor Arnaud..." Verano swung his head. He smirked as he turned his sights away from his brother. He noticed that a tall Northman warrior with red hair and red beard stood by Thyra's side. The banner stamping his shield and armor were not the same as Thyra's tribe. The stranger watched the salvo of tomatoes with an eerie smile on his face.

"Enough!" Interrupted the Queenmother banging her scepter against the ground. The Spirit living on top of her staff darkened.

The crowd quieted as the woman continued:

"Now we say our last words to Prince Erik and deliver him to the Spirits of the Deep," she stared at Queen Thyra. "May you give him a warrior's farewell?"

"I shall-"

A hand blocked her passage. The redhead warrior walked down the beach and the crowd opened way for him to pass.

"I-It's Hagen, the Red Tide," recoiled a Northman, "from the Eastern Tribe of the North Sea!"

Voices gossiped:

"They say he razed more than a hundred ports. Wasn't he the master of Prince Erik?"

"They say the water that he bends turns red with all the blood of his victims!"

"If he were the High King, not even the _Fenrhir_ would've stood a chance!"

Joël, Thyra's right hand man, grunted at the whispers roaming the crowd:

"Silence!"

Hagen, the redhead, rose his hands towards the waters and the tides carried the ship on flames towards the waters.

"We will avenge you, Prince Erik," said Hagen glancing towards his men. They were thrice as many as Thyra's Northmen. "The next raid on Alba shall be the last. The Fire Peoples won't dare touch our sacred land for the next 10000 years." He rose his head towards the ship on flames that headed into the horizon. "May the Spirits of the Deep take you."

The crowd sang a hymn in the honor of Hagen and the fallen Prince as Thyra remained silent.

The population dispersed as the burning vessel carrying Erik's remnants disappeared in the horizon.

"I guess it is our time to go." Said a slave standing by Verano's side.

"Exactly," said Queen Thyra as she stood ahead of the column of slaves with her bodyguards, "We're heading to the _mines_. Joël," she faced her second in command, "Keep Ëdim safe." She referred to the settlement.

"Of course-"

"That won't be an issue," interrupted Hagen, "I have brought more than enough true Northmen with me to defend this hole for the next century. Now can we go see my mines?"

Thyra nodded. The column of slaves walked towards the mountain ranges in the extreme north.

Verano had his head frowned yet Hagen's words caught his attention:

"The _Fenrhir_..." The redhead looked towards the column. "Which one is he?"

"The one with darker skin and hair," replied Thyra, "looks as strong as a flower."

"I see..." He smiled towards Verano. "He took Erik's life and _now_ you walk him like a pet. Are you that desperate for slaves that you'll spare your brother's murderer?"

"I tried to kill him but the Queenmother would not let me. She said that's not the will of the Spirits."

"Wait, _Queenmother_?" He laughed. "You still listen to yours?"

"We are young," she frowned, "our parents died in the same war that we are fighting now. We don't have the luxury to upset the Spirits. We must follow the elders."

"The state of your tribe is just sad. The war with the Fire Peoples has drained it," Hagen swung his head, "you had 8 brothers and 7 are now dead. You don't even have any children. If you die, who will rule-"

"I won't die." She unsheathed her sword.

"There is no need to flee from hard questions, Queen Thyra," Hagen smirked, "I admire you. You were thrust into a position of an incredible burden and you haven't broken yet. You're young and strong. But I fear you'll need way more than your strength to defeat King Heinrich of Aarchen..."

"That's why you and your raiders are here. If I wanted political counseling, I'd have brought someone else."

"I can offer more than warriors, Queen Thyra," he rose his hand and a ruby ring in the shape of two salmons was wrapped around his middle finger, "I can offer security, power and maybe..." He smirked. "Love?"

"W-W-What do you mean?" Thyra blushed. "I'm a warrior and I must avenge my clan," she turned her head away, "I-I don't have time for this _love_ nonsense!"

"But I will help you _avenge_ your clan. And do _many_ other things," he blinked, "just marry me and let me become the High King of this tribe. Our children would be so beautiful and powerful that their hairs would be used to decorate the mead halls of Val-Hella..."

"You just want to be a King." She snorted.

"How can you tear my heart apart like this, Queen Thyra?" He rested his hand upon his chest. "I'm such a romantic man. And we both know you have no idea what you're doing as a ruler. I have so much to offer..."

"Then seal your lips and keep it to someone who'll believe you." She sheathed her blade.

The group reached a valley with mountains tall as the sky. Large footsteps dotted the mud on the ground.

"I-Is that a..." Verano rose his eyes. He saw a man as tall as three excavating a tunnel. "A giant?"

The creature stared at the boy as it punched a hole through the mountain. Bats escaped from the hole and heaved the Giant against the ground. Verano shouted:

"He needs help-"

"No, he doesn't!" Replied a Northman slapping the boy's face.

The giant rose from the ground and shoved the mud off its robes. It rose its head towards the hole and city lights blinded him. Verano recoiled as he shoved the blood from the slap from his cheeks:

"Wait, these mines, they are-"

"Shut up!"

"They are _Ruins of Light!_ We can't work here!" Verano yelled towards Hagen and Thyra. "The Spirits will-"

"Get upset." Smirked Hagen. "I'm aware, slave. But Queen Thyra had to find a way to pay for my friendship. I'm interested in what the Spirits hide in these _Holy Grounds_. Don't worry about us, though. It's you Fire slaves and these dumb giants," he referred to the many silent creatures opening the mountain with pickaxes. Injuries dotted their bodies. "You all will have to deal with the problem, not us."

"This is-" Verano gritted his teeth as he faced the giants' wounds. All the Spirits roaming the mud turned their eyes towards him. The ground shook.

"What is going on, Thyra?" Asked Hagen. He noticed that all tiny Spirits distanced themselves as fast as they could.

"I don't know," she faltered. "The mountain seems to be reacting to the _Fenrhir_... _"_

Stones rolled down the mountain. Giants distanced themselves away from the walls of the stone walls as the valley shook.

"The ground is getting hot?" Faltered a Northman lifting his foot from the mud. "It's burning. Damn it-"

"I sense some heat," faltered Verano as he frowned at the dirt. "Get away from here!"

The column dispersed as a hole tore open the ground. A cloud of fire escaped through the fissure and reddened the skies.

"There's something coming!" Shouted Thyra as she rose her shield. Loud footsteps echoed from the deep. "Form a shield wall!"

The claws of a dark spirit grasped the edge of the hole. A colossal Dark Spirit in the shape of a dog rose its fiery eyes towards the Northmen as it climbed out of the hole.

"The Barghest Spirit..." Faltered a Northman.

The creature dove its head against the ground and breathed a wave of Fire towards the column.

Thyra dove her hands into the mud. A wall of water sprung off the ground and blocked the creature's attack. She yelled for assistance:

"Hagen, do something!"

The man smirked as he faced the creature standing behind her weakening water barrier.

"My men far outnumber Thyra's in her own tribe, she refuses to marry me and now she's facing the Barghest with no prospect of survival..." He reflected as he walked back. His men moved away from the Dark Spirit and left Thyra alone with only her slaves and a couple Waterbenders. "I was never an esoteric man but this seems like clear evidence that the Spirits of the Deep desire new leadership for the Western Tribe of the North Sea. You are the last heir, right?"

"Don't you _dare_ betray me!" She gritted her teeth as she struggled to keep the wall standing.

"This is not betrayal," his salmon ring flashed as he rose his fist. A frozen wall rose behind Thyra's backs and locked the woman and her slaves with the Dark Spirit. "It's just common sense."

 **Fragments of Lore**

 _According to the Church of Heaven's Shrine, there are 12 Constellations and 12 homonimous Styles of Bending among the Four Elements (Earth, Fire, Water and Air)_. While the 12 Styles are an abstraction created by the clerics from the Church of Heaven's Shrine to categorize and more easily study the many uses of an Element; it is believed that every Bender is born with a proficiency in a particular style. Waterbending, per example, is divided between _Aquarium_ (mastery in bending large amounts of water to transform the terrain), _Pisces_ (mastery in the curative nature of Water) and _Aries_ (mastery in using water as a means to move oneself).

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	18. XII - A Queen's Pride

"Defense formation, now!" Shouted Queen Thyra as a veil of water surrounded her shield.

The three Northmen that remained by her side repeated her gesture. Their water-veiled shields formed a thick water wall. They faced the Barghest, an eerie Dark Spirit with the shape of a colossal fire hound.

"La cazzata (crap!)," faltered Verano as he looked back and sought an escape route. Hagen, the treacherous raider from the Eastern Tribe of the North Sea, had blocked the valley's exit and locked Thyra and her captives with the Barghest. The slaves stood defenseless behind her and her men.

"Brace yourselves!" Shouted Thyra as the evil Spirit dove its head against the ground and breathed a carpet of fire at her direction. The flames flooded the entire valley as if the Barghest had breathed a fiery river. Yet the Northmen's shield wall absorbed the fire that reached them and formed a safe circle behind them where the slaves hid.

"The wall is melting?" Faltered an older slave with his eyes narrowed at the ice wall that Hagen had raised. The Barghest's river of flames melted holes in the ice. "Hurry up, look," shouted the slave with a wide smile squeezing his wrinkled face, "to the holes, you dumb dimwits! Freedom!"

"Freedom!" Shouted the dozen slaves that the Northmen had brought.

A smile sprouted from Verano's face as he followed the other slaves towards the pierced ice wall.

"The Spirit is attacking again!" Shouted a Northman by Thyra's side as the Barghest rose its head from the ground, rose a claw over its head and pummeled the boiling mud ahead of the shield wall.

The ground quaked with the impact. A mountain of mud sprung off the scorching earth and buried the Northmen's formation. Flames burned inside the Barghest's jaw denouncing that another river of flames was about to finish Thyra and her men.

"We can't-" Verano's legs weighed as he was about to leave through a hole in Hagen's ice wall. He had his eyes turned towards Thyra as she staggered outside of the boiling mud. "I _can't_ just leave them there."

"Sucks to be you, Verano!" Laughed the older slave as he ran through Verano and crossed the hole in the melted wall.

The Northwoman pushed her body off the mud that covered the Northmen. She pulled an axe off her waist. Thyra glanced at her men as they struggled to leave the mud and rose her voice towards them:

"I-I'-I'll stall the Barghest, hurry up!"

"Maybe I should go," faltered Verano, "she seems to be doing well on her own." He frowned towards the scar that his adoptive father, the Duke Arnaud de Sforza, had left in his right hand. The man's words echoed in his head:

 _"This scar. It happened when I almost died to protect someone who would not, even in a million years, do the same for me."_

"I mean, _he's got a point_ ," reminisced Verano, "Thyra did try to kill me three times already," the boy scratched his chin while the Northwoman swung her axe at the Barghest face. "And I think Marzia would agree with father. And Arnaud would scream at me asking why I'm even considering helping Thyra. Yes," Verano coughed, "I'm sick and I think I should just leave..." he turned his head towards the melting ice wall. Yet his heart tightened as he heard her scream while she fought the Barghest, "Argh, who am I trying to fool? I'm too stupid to do the smart thing-"

He turned around and Thyra's body flew into his. The Barghest had sent her and the Northmen flying.

Her armor crushed Verano's chest as he caught her.

"Någon blev skadad? (Anyone hurt?)" Thyra asked her men as she stood up and shoved the dirt off her armor.

"M-Me." Replied Verano.

"N-No one, Queen," replied a Northman as he stood while using his axe as a cane.

"Good. Listen," she covered her injuries with the right hand. The Barghest walked towards them, "fighting a Spirit is futile. We must find a way to escape before it spills fla-"

The Dark Spirit dove its head against the ground.

"Skit! (Crap!)" Cursed Thyra.

"Listen to me, please, argh-" Verano rose from the ground. "The Spirit left a hole when it sprung out of the earth. Maybe we can jump over it and escape through there. But we must go fast-"

Thyra bended water around her right arm. She pummeled the ground and her water-veiled fist opened a hole with a punch.

"Get in, now!" Ordered the Northwoman as she entered the hole.

"Or do that," faltered Verano, "it also works-"

The Barghest breathed a cloud of fire towards them.

Verano gritted his teeth towards the wall of flames about to consume him. He stretched his arms down and ignited a flame that propelled his lighter body of a slave over the fire blast. He hovered over the earth that the Berghast had scorched.

"No, it can't be-" His confidence collapsed as he noticed that the Northmen did not have the same luck. They failed to escape and the flames consumed them.

"Harald, Jän, Odär..." Faltered Thyra as she rose her eyesight over the hole. Tears filled her eyes as she saw her companions die. "I'm-" She frowned. "I'm to blame for this."

Verano's flames that kept him floating faltered. He felt his heart beating faster and his breath left him.

"Argh-" Bemoaned Verano as the pain in his chest led him to collapse. His body mauled the ground as he coughed blood. "Damn it," he rose his head from the ground and faced the Dark Spirit fiery glare. The Barghest walked towards him and shook the earth with its steps. He could not lift himself off the ground and escape. "H-Help," he glanced towards Thyra as she sobbed in her hole, "please!"

Thyra ignored his plea. Water surrounded her right fist as she prepared to pummel the ground.

"The Barghest had to escape from somewhere," she told herself, "there has to be something under this valley. I'll survive and avenge you three," she glanced towards her men. "Hagen will pay."

"Do something! For Heaven's sake!" Screamed Verano as he crawled away from the Barghest. Yet his shoulder touched a boulder.

The Dark Spirit rose its claws over its head and prepared to tear Verano in half. The boy's only hope was Thyra.

"P-Please, Thyra," he leaned towards her as his scarred fist tightened, "my sister's waiting for me."

The Barghest rose its claw over its head and cast a shadow around Verano. He closed his eyes as the claw approached his chest.

"W-Water?" Verano awakened and saw that Thyra held the Spirit's claw with her water-veiled arm.

"You're..." He faltered as his smile darkened the shadows that engulfed him. "You're helping me!"

"You assume too much, Fire Knight, argh-" Thyra blushed as she struggled against the Dark Spirit's strength. The ground beneath her feet fractured. The monster glared at her with its fiery eyes and flames cooked inside its mouth. "I must do this!" She gritted her teeth as the dense veil of water engulfing her right arm exploded like a water bomb.

The explosion pierced through the valley's ground. An unconscious Thyra, the Barghest and Verano fell into a stream that flowed underground.

The Northwoman lost her consciousness. All that she felt was the cold current of the river and the immense pain consuming her left arm.

"I got you, argh," she heard Verano's voice as he dragged her out of the water. The Sun bathed her body with warmth and as the sunset approached, the boy ignited a fireplace to keep her warm.

Verano sat by a tree and faced the Full Moon hovering over his head. The Northern Lights roamed the heavens and gave him peace.

"O Divine Guardian," Verano sang a hymn from his home. "Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love. For in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal..."

"Shut up!" Shouted Thyra.

"Y-You're awake!" Grinned Verano as he leaned to look at her face.

"No, I'm asleep," she groaned, "Can't you see?"

"That's a relief. For a moment there, I thought that-"

"W-Where is my armor?" She sat on the ground and covered her chest with the right arm. Her eyes searched her surroundings yet she could not find half her clothes. "Where is my bloody armor, you creep?"

"Calm down."

"I'm not bloody calming down, I want my damn armor!" She shouted at his face. "What did you do with it, you creep?"

"I can't give to you, it is all wet now-"

She pummeled his cheek. Verano rolled on the ground with both hands on his wound.

"W-What was that for?" He snorted.

"You can't undress a woman like this, your filthy fire scum!"

"S-S-Sorry, argh-" He sat on the ground. "Maybe I should've let you freeze to death. But I really felt in debt after what you've done for me," he spoke naively, "I was even considering hugging you while you were unconscious so that the cold wind would not batter you as much."

"How noble."

"Yes, I'm a Fire Knight, so..." He blushed. "I must always help someone who is in distress, no matter who it is. Preferably if it is a Penitent, but we are taught to be magnanimous even when it comes to heathens and-"

"I want to kill you so much that I can't even fit in words..."

Verano only blinked at her. He could not find the reason why she was mad with him. He understood little of women. He treated Marzia not differently from how he dealt with his male friends. The woman continued:

"But that will have to wait, argh-" She held her injured arm. "I can't move it. That technique that I've used bends too much water in one place. It hurts my arm even more when the water erupts."

"W-Where are we?" Asked Verano as his eyes hovered around his surroundings. Spirits lightened the darkness in the forest. Walls of tall trees surrounded him.

"I have no idea."

"But you come from here, aren't you?"

"That doesn't mean anything. Can you tell every damn place where you live just by sight?"

"Yes, I can," he grinned, "My sister Marzia, Arnaud and I have seen it all. Even where we couldn't go-"

"Just forget it," she snorted, "I need to find a way to come back to Edïm and stop Hagen's coup. But I'm not gonna get anywhere with a moribund slave by my side and a broken arm..."

"Maybe I could help?" Faltered Verano. "I'm the Avatar. At least they say I am."

"What is an Avatar?" She rolled her eyes.

"Sorry, White Wolf-" He corrected himself. The Fire Peoples and the North Sea Tribes had different interpretations of the same myth. "The point is," he leaned towards her, "the priest says I can learn how to bend Water. If you can teach me, I can use water to mend your wounds and help you defeat Hagen. Then you can let my people go back home. Is it a deal-"

She rose her axe from her waist and swung the weapon's blade against a tree trunk that stood only one thumb away from Verano's head. He swallowed dry.

"Let's just make something clear that even you'll understand," she explained with a vein pumping on her forehead. "I'm not a friend of yours and I'll never be. It doesn't matter what you think or what the mystics from my tribe say that you are; to me you're only a slave who has my family's blood on his hands."

"There is no other way; you _have_ to work with me-"

"Let me finish!" She silenced him with a shout. "You are not a Waterbender. You are _not_ a Northman! It doesn't matter if you can bend Water, you are not worthy! I'd rather die and see my tribe fall into Hagen's claws than desecrate my name by being a teacher to the murderer of my brother."

"Thyra, you help me help you and you won't have to see me ever again-"

"Who are you to call me by the name?" She smacked him. "You're a slave freed by fate and nothing else."

"Argh," he massaged his wound, "please Thyra, listen to me. Your pride will just take you straight to the sea." He referred to how the Tribes of the North Sea _buried_ their dead.

"Then I shall have a warrior's death, argh-" She lifted herself off the ground and wandered the forest.

Verano followed her as he looked for a way to convince the stubborn woman to teach him. The same Moon that hovered over their hands brought light to the outskirts of Edïm, from where Hagen observed the battered Western Water Tribe.

"Poor Edïm," he bit a green apple, "poor Western Water Tribe. So battered by generations of lost mothers and fathers in the pestilential war for Alba. Finally you'll have a leader who can make things right." He smiled as he contemplated the reflection of the Moon upon his salmon-shaped ring.

"Chief, it's been confirmed," a fat Northman kneeled before him. "We outnumber Thyra's men 3 to 1. Your fears were confirmed true, heh: her warriors are not loyal enough to die for her claim. We can sack this tribe unopposed for three weeks or so. Most of her warriors are shores far too distant to come and help her."

"Excellent, Svän," remarked Hagen, "but I'm not looking for wealth here."

"Why? There's a _lot_ of undefended gold down there, chief."

"Raiding is not everything, my innocent Svan," explained Hagen, "the times are changing. The Fire Knights are building feuds with thicker walls and stronger ballistae. They are getting used to our strategies. We now have to sail much farther than before in order to raid with ease. In addition, the places that still ignore the threat of the Northmen are being reduced to ashes one by one. Fortunes won't buy the survival of our people forever.

"I dunno if I care about survival of anything, chief. I just came for the fortunes..."

"Let me explain to you in an easier way, Svän," Hagen threw his apple away, "I don't want to die as a raider. I want to be a _King_. And this," he rose his axe towards Edïm. "This shall be the cradle of my Kingdom."

 **Fragments of Lore**

 _Alba was once a land of giants_. They inhabited the islands long before the Northmen arrived. Due to the lack of a language, their tribes were small and united only by blood ties. Giants were easily outmatched when large groups of Northmen arrived from Skandinavia. 96% of the giants were exterminated. The bloodlines that remained were those with the most obedient and mild personality types. Yet despite the Giants' extinction, many Northmen remained fascinated by their enigmatic culture and burial sites. Legends regarding the creatures remain to this day, such as the _Blade of Caliburn_ : a weapon forged with a Giant's blood that only the legitimate King of Alba could wield.


	19. XIII - Verano and Thyra

Verano's voice echoed through the forest's thick bushes:

"Teach me Waterbending."

"No." Replied Thyra as she squeezed herself to pass between tree trunks.

He insisted:

"T-Teach me Waterbending?" He followed her.

"No."

"Teach me Waterbending..." Verano faltered. "Please?"

"No!"

A fish dove into the water of a huge lake that laid nearby like a desert of water. The sound caught Thyra's attention:

"What was that?"

"The sound of you not teaching me Waterbending." Verano crossed his arms.

"Wait, it's a lake!" Thyra sighed in relief as she ran to the shore. "Finally some bloody food!"

"I picked you berries-"

"Only cattle eats grass, you stupid fire argh-" She dove her fist into the water and snatched a fish. Her left arm still had no movement.

"It's odd..." Verano frowned upon the water and noticed that the fish swam too close to the lakeshore. "They seem agitated."

"Can't you ever shut up?" Grunted Thyra.

"I wasn't even talking to you," remarked Verano as he grabbed a desperate fish, "sorry, little guy. I'll make this fast."

Verano turned his head away and pummeled a cloud of fire that cooked that animal. The breeze carried the odor of fried fish through the forest.

"Delicious," he took a bite, "the Duchy had no lake fish. So this is my first time eating something like this."

"Did I ask?" Snorted Thyra.

Verano sighed and rustled to himself:

"She's rude, but I understand her..." he recalled the sight of Erik's blood tainting his hands. "I'd not be doing different if someone had killed Arnaud. I can't expect to convince her like I did to Marzia." He frowned. "What a great Avatar that I am…"

He stood up and shoved the dirt off his vests.

"I'm going now," resigned Verano while he glared at Thyra, "I wish you good winds with-" He noticed that she had not eaten anything yet. "Are you feeling sick?"

"I-" She blushed. "I can't eat it raw."

"You have a weak stomach?" He recoiled. "I thought the Northmen ate baby seals for breakfast-"

"Shut up."

"You want me to..." He faltered. "Cook _it_ for you?"

She nodded without staring at him.

"Really?" Asked Verano, excited. "You'll let me help you?"

"No, I-I-" She blushed. "I got distracted!"

"So you let me help you or not?"

"Of course not!" She turned her chin away. "I would not humiliate myself and beg for your help!"

"I was so close." Verano shuddered.

They roamed the lakeside as the grey clouds on the sky covered the Sun. A cold breeze roamed the lake. All that Verano heard were the water's tide and Thyra's thunderous stomach. He insisted:

"You sure you don't want me to cook that fish for you?"

Thyra kicked a puddle of cold water at his face.

"You're welcome." Grunted Verano.

The night fell and they slept under two separate tree trunks. Verano lightened a fireplace to keep him warm through the night while Thyra slept between the bushes. She observed the in order stars to find where in the world they were. Yet the clouds littered the heavens and clouded her navigation.

"The Spirits around here seem so mild," remarked Verano as he cooked a second fish. He glanced at the lights dotting the darkness around him, "if we were back home, they'd have expelled us away by now."

"I-I-I'm concentrate!" Protested Thyra with her eyes on the stars. She shivered.

"Don't you want me to sleep closer to-" He blushed. "To the fire?"

She did not bother to answer.

"So sleep in your bushes, then." Said Verano as he rested his back against a tree.

"It's not possible-"

"You found out where we are?" Verano rose his head.

"I have absolutely no idea where this place is." She ranted as she laid her head sideways on the grass. "I'm a failure..."

Verano covered his mouth as he coughed so he'd not interrupt her. Thyra continued:

"I lost my tribe, my men and I can't even find out where the south is so I can avenge them." "Maybe it's better if, argh-" She spitted so the sour taste of the words left her mouth. "Hagen takes over," she confessed as tears crawled from her eyelids, "he has long term plans, powerful warriors, a _Ring of Nibel_ …" She referred to the _Three Rings_ that the Spirits of the Deep hid in the North Sea in order to spark the desire of navigation in the Northmen, "All I have are expectations that I can never live up to. They called me a Queen when I was thirteen and expected me to avenge my father like he died trying to avenge his. But I'm just one girl." She confessed. "Deep inside I'm still waiting for his ship to return so that he tells me that this whole _Queen_ thing was just a bad dream. And then he can have his Axe of Edïm back," she frowned upon her weapon, "and everything can be the way that it was before."

Verano grinned. Those words were familiar to his throat and ears.

"You're laughing at me?" She protested.

"No, it's that-" He smiled. "Flavius was right. We _do_ have something in common."

"Really?"

"We both had responsibility thrust upon us-" He chuckled. "And we are failing hard at it."

Thyra smiled unconsciously as she heard his words.

"You have a pretty smile, you know?" Remarked Verano. "You look nice when you're not angry."

"M-Me?"

"Your smile reminds me of—"

Thyra turned her head away. Her grin turned upside down as she recalled who Verano was. Her anger returned. She felt ashamed for having sympathized with him, even if just for a couple moments.

"Good night, Thyra," he said with a grin as if he expected that she would react that way. "Just so you know," he faltered, "you're just one girl and that's not a problem. We are never enough by ourselves. The world is vast. That is why we need more eyes to help us find the way. Marzia always said that the Wild Lands were made for two."

Only the crickets answered him. Verano grinned and laid down. Thyra's pride rose like the tide and separated them whenever he tried to approach her.

As the Sun returned to the sky and its rays awakened Thyra, she rolled her eyes as she saw that Verano had left a plate of berries and fish for her.

"Where is he?" She noticed that he sat down far away from her, as if he knew that she would not dare touching the food if he knew that she did.

"Clever." She resigned as she swallowed the berries and the fish with one bite. Hunger was the best sauce that she had ever tasted.

She rose from the ground after her meal and walked towards Verano. The absence of a scowl upon her face caught his attention even more than her steps.

"Let's continue?" She asked him.

Verano blinked at her, confused. He did not know that she did not have the capacity to feel anything for him besides rage.

"Let's go or not?" Insisted Thyra.

"O-Oh, yes, of course, of course—" Verano stood up and followed her.

They crossed through a cave where Verano's fire lightened the path for them. When a stream blocked their path, Thyra took down a tree's trunk to use it as a bridge.

They walked through a dense section of the forests and Verano strolled around as if he picked seashells. A pallet of mushrooms and herbs occupied his hands.

"Tea," he explained as he used a stream's water to turn the herbs into a tea for them to drink. "Here's for..." Hesitated Verano as he cupped the drink with a fruit's shell.

"The illness and misery of my enemies."

"I was going to say _a safe trip back_ home, but I guess that works as well." Said Verano as he looked away and drank his tea.

They continued the voyage. Thyra was surprised that she felt at ease with his presence and that she did not feel any urge to crush his skull with her axe. She had a joyful expression on her face that distracted her from the many tragedies that had fallen upon her in just a couple days. Yet her joy was brief:

"This lake again, argh-" Grunted Thyra throwing herself as the rocky lakeside. Her feet were battered and exhausted. "We walked all the way to end up here again? We're stuck in this stupid forest!"

"At least we learned where _not_ to go the next time."

"You're asking for a punch in the face, aren't you?"

"Look at the bright side for a change," Verano took his sights away from her, "your scowl is not taking us outta here, is it-" He coughed. He narrowed his nose towards a strong stench of blood that left the lake. "W-What is this?"

Verano frowned and realized that the bones of a fish as large as a man were stranded on the lakeside. The tides of the lake were low and he could see that bones surrounded the water like the mold of a painting.

Thyra touched her immobilized arm and took a step back. She glanced towards the boy and rose her voice:

"Whatever killed all these has to be even bigger. Whatever you do, don't do anything stu-"

Verano fried a basket of fish with his fire. Thyra recoiled:

"What in the bloody name of Bewulf are you doing?" She inquired as she grasped his shirt. "Är du dum (Are you dumb) or just act like it?"

"I-I'm making a trap!"

"Then at least wait until I get away from here so you can kill yourself on your own, you bloody idiot-"

A shadow engulfed them. Cold water fell like a waterfall from the long neck of a sea creature that stared into their souls.

"Dodge!" Shouted Verano as the animal's jaw dove against the rocky shore. Verano pushed Thyra against the ground and threw himself on the opposite direction.

The sea creature devoured the bag of fish.

"I-It's a baby Sea Serpent!" Yelled Thyra pulling her axe out of her waist. Verano stood on the other flank of the creature. She narrowed her eyes at him and shouted: "These beings sank entire ships and killed thousands in the past-"

"I'll call her Ness!" Said Verano pulling his shirt out.

"W-What do you think you're doing?"

"Easy there, ragazza (girl)," Verano rose a fish towards the creature, "I'm not here to hurt you!"

"What are you doing, Verano?" Thyra screamed at his ears.

"I'm trying to form a Verbünd-" He struggled to pronounce the word. "A bond with her. That's when Fire Knights submit and befriend a creature," he hovered the fish before Ness, "we gotta think out of the box if we want to get outta here-"

The creature sprung off the lake and snatched the fish off his hand.

"Close," chuckled Verano with his backs laid on the beach, "good news is that she's really hungry!"

"Is that _good_ news?"

"Of course! If we get enough food, we can lure her away from the water! It's strategy!"

"Okay, let's suppose I agree with this _strategy_ and do not hack this bloody thing to death right now," she gritted her teeth, "how does this bond thing work?"

"I must overwhelm her with my power without hurting her."

"That's not happening. Next stupid idea."

"You have to trust me at least once, for Heaven's sake!" Shouted Verano as he picked another stranded fish to feed the Sea Serpent.

The animal dove its jaw against him and pulled his arm along with the food.

"Argh-" Screamed Verano as he grasped the creature's head. He rose his free fist to pummel a cloud of fire to intimidate the creature yet he felt as if a flame burned inside his chest. The pain stunned him.

"Verano, do something!" Shouted Thyra as the creature rose its jaw to swallow his arm. She frowned upon the axe in her right hand as if her arm itched to save his life. "What am I feeling tempted to help him?" She asked herself. "He's my enemy, why must I—"

She swallowed dry and threw her weapon at the Ness's neck.

The creature roared in pain and returned scared back into the river. Verano fell of its mouth and collapsed with his back against the stones.

"My chest..." Bemoaned Verano with a hand on his heart.

"My axe..." Thyra fell on her knees. Tears slid off her eyes and drizzled upon the rocky lakeside. "That was the last thing I had of _him_. Now it's _all_ gone. Just like the tribe-" She punched the ground while she cursed herself in her language. Her hand bled. "Varför måste jag vara så svag? (Why do I have to be so weak?) Why do I have to keep mess-"

Verano cast a shadow upon her. She lifted her head to face him.

"M-Mess up?" He recoiled. "B-But you saved me."

"What is your point?"

"Never mind," he rolled his eyes, "I just wanted to say 'thank you'." He smiled. "I remember what that axe meant to you." Verano struggled not to cough.

"You'd never understand, you're not me—"

He frowned upon the necklace that his mother had left him.

"Someone left this for me - maybe my real parents." Explained Verano. "I don't know what it means but I'd only give this for the sake of a person who I truly cared for."

He stretched his hand towards Thyra.

"W-What is this?"

"I want you to give me a chance." He blushed. "A chance to prove that saving my life was not a mistake. And that _you_ were not a mistake."

She frowned upon her right hand and resisted Verano's deal. Yet she knew that she would be truly alone if he died.

"Argh-" She held his hand. A blush reddened her pale cheeks. " _Just don't you_ _dare make me regret this."_

 _"It may take my whole life, but I'll find a way not_ _to_ _."_

The Northern Lights did not cover the skies of Alba during that night. Grey smoke escaped from Edïm, the Western Tribe of the North Sea, and tainted the heavens.

Hagen stood ahead of the bonfire as a row of Northmen that were loyal to Thyra were cuffed before him.

"You guys did put up a fight," remarked the raider as he shoved the blood off his face, "but a nameless orphan bunch never had a chance against true Northmen."

"Just wait," groaned Jöel, the oldest male Northman in the tribe and Thyra's teacher. "The Queen will return and you will regret what you've done. You think the Eastern Tribe will accept a traitor back to Skandinavia? You'll go straight to Val-Hella after we're done with you, child!"

"What an attitude!" Said Hagen with a smile larger than his face.

"You'll pay for this. We'll squeeze you so much that the red paint will go out of your hair."

Hagen's men laughs echoed across all corners of Edïm.

"You're such a character, Joël. I just can't hate you," smirked Hagen, "so listen to my offer: if you resign your loyalty to Thyra and join my crew, you can keep your li-"

Joël spitted on the man's face.

"Screw you and your offer!" Mocked Joël. "I know your secret, Hagen. You're not a true Northman—"

Hagen pierced through Joël's chest with his axe and claimed the man's life.

"You've made a poor choice, old man." Remarked Hagen as he shoved the blood off his skin. "And let this be a lesson to the rest of you!"

Hagen walked towards the chief's hall. Yet the sound of clapping hands in the silence caught his attention. A man wearing a bear's mask cheered all his actions.

"That was beautiful, almighty Kung Hagen (King Hagen)! You showed that guy!"

Hagen pulled his mask off and revealed Arnaud's face. The raider grunted:

"Vem är den här killen och varför han bär våra västar? (Who the hell is this guy and why is he wearing our vests?)"

"He's the Greatmother's assistant." Explained a Northman.

"Then listen carefully," Hagen glanced at his men, "Ta den här killen ur min åsyn innan jag gör den här killen huvud avundas hans inälvor. (Take this guy out of my sight before I make his face envy his intestines.)"

"What a beautiful language." Remarked Arnaud. He complimented Hagen in the hopes that the man would set his people free.

"I'm gonna enjoy it way more than I should." Chuckled Black Teeth, the Northman who cared for the slaves, as he pulled Arnaud like an object.

"Wait, no! No, please!" Cried Arnaud. "I'll do whatever you want! But you can't just take me this, I'm the voice of the—"

Black Teeth covered the boy's mouth with fabric.

Hagen swung his head and walked away from Arnaud.

Svån, Hagen's immediate, waited by the chief's hall.

"We are done, boss." Said Svån. "The folks won't give you trouble anymore."

"And the slaves? I bumped into a chubby one early on."

"Thyra had a lot of them. What are we supposed to with these people?"

"Nothing. Having to keep slaves mean that we must always keep some troops at home to maintain order. It is a drain," he explained, "we must get rid of them as soon as possible. I know a man who will pay unbelievable fortunes for them. Especially those that Thyra captured in her last raid of Alba. He promised more gold if I did not ask why."

"I like gold."

"Yes, you do, Svån."

"May I ask who is this contact of yours?"

"Emir Abbas Al-Portucal, a son of the Caliph from the Caliphate of Camarilla." Smirked Hagen. "You can get two thousand gold coins if you set sail with them in a week or so. I want Prince De Sforza to be your absolute priority."

"Maybe we should chop him and sell him for the price of two."

"Use your creativity, Svån." Smirked Hagen. "I just have one demand for now."

"Yes, sir?"

"Send as many men as you can after Thyra and the poor souls that remained by her side. Make sure they are all dead. A ghost shall not haunt my reign."

 **Fragments of Lore**

 _The Empire of the Holy Flame is known for its caste system._ The Airbending Clergy from the Church of Heaven's Shrine compose the First Estate and manage the matters of the _Spirits_ and education. The Firebending Knights compose the Second Estate and must defend, share and manage the land. The nonbending peasantry, traders, heathens and foreigners compose the Third Estate that must pay taxes in exchange of protection. The _rank_ of a certain Fire Knight is determined by the amount of land under his / her control. The Emperor of the Holy Flame cedes land to Kings. A King cedes land to a Duke. The Duke cedes land to a Count. The Count cedes land to a Baron. The Baron cedes land to the peasantry.


	20. XIV - Marzia's Love

"Fire Knights at the wall," said a Northman who stood in a watchtower near the Wall of Siegfrieda. "Send a pigeon to warn Chief Hagen. They are coming."

The colors from the banners of Aachen reddened the horizon. Nobles from the Empire of the Holy Flame walked towards Edïm, the settlement were the Northmen had imprisoned Arnaud and his companions. Two dozen soldiers followed them.

"This place gives me the creeps," remarked a young Fire Knight as a thick fog embraced his group. Bodies hanged on trees and gave them cold stares. "D-Did we really have to come without our mounts?"

"Of course we had, are you stupido (stupid), Hans?" Asked Giovanni, Verano's talented architect friend. "Horses are the Fire Peoples' sign of war. We are just here to buy our friends back. Am I right," he glanced towards the tall men walking "marshall?"

"Shut your mouths." Replied the man as he pulled his hood down. He was Duke Arnaud de Sforza, the father to Marzia, Arnaud and Verano.

"I-I apologize!" Frowned Giovanni. "Damn it," he tightened his fists, "I ashamed myself in front of the-"

A warm hand reached his shoulder. He looked back and saw Marzia.

"Don't mind him," she whispered, "the Duke made a promise that he'd never ever return to this place. He's angry because my brothers made him come."

"I-I understand..." faltered Giovanni. He felt as birds flew in his stomach. Marzia's curly brown hair cupped her face like a piece of silk. She had blossomed even more since her siblings left the Duchy. Her beauty of the Middle Sea was undeniable. She looked like an angel that could fit in Giovanni's art without raising suspicion. "Y-You, you a-re..."

"Something wrong?" She asked. Her eyebrows arched.

"N-N-No, sto bene (I'm fine!)" He blushed. "I-I was just wondering..."

"Wondering what?"

"What someone like you is doing in a dreadful place like this? I never saw you in Alba. I'd have noticed if there was someone like you in here, I mean…"

"What are you talking about?"

"N-N-Nothing! I-It's that your accent..." He blushed like a strawberry. "Do you happen to come from the Duke's lands too?"

"Yes, I do."

"Wow, you've come so far! What brought you here must be really important, right?"

"You have no idea." She frowned as if the memories of her brothers weighed in her head. She heard Verano's voice every night when she dreamed. "I'll just ask you to stay quiet, okay?" She narrowed her eyes at Giovanni. "Should the tribe's new chief find out that we are only here to buy back our friends, he'll certainly demand more gold."

"I-I'm sorry."

"It's okay. But whatever you do, don't call unneeded attention. Alright?"

Giovanni did not listen to what she said. Instead, he just delighted himself in the beauty of her voice. He wondered if he had ever seen a more beautiful woman than Marzia. She had to repeat herself:

"...Alright?"

"O-Oh yes, absolutely!" He bowed before her. "I'll do _anything_ that you ask me and I promise that I'll keep these fools in che-"

He saw a Zigana's tail moving out of a soldier's back. Verano swallowed dry:

"Oh no, not _her_. Not now!"

Marzia rose her voice:

"What?"

"N-Nevermind."

The group reached the gates of Edïm as the Sun rose in the next morning. Faces curtained every window and balcony to watch them as they entered the settlement. Hagen stood at the tribe's heart to welcome them warmly:

"The Scorpion, Duke Arnaud de Sforza! Ha-ha!" He laughed. "King Heinrich's powerful marshal! Have you come to surrender Alba already?"

"Where is Queen Thyra?" Asked the Duke.

"In Val-Hella, my good sire," Hagen smirked. "She fell victim to a Spirit. It seems to be the divine will that my offspring and I must lead this land. Now..." He narrowed his eyes at the Duke. "I assume you haven't come to congratulate me."

"I do not have time for the pathetic monkey politics of barbarians; I've come on behalf of King Heinrich to..."

"Buy your stupid sons back?"

The Duke growled. Veins covered his forehead like a spider web. Smoke left his mouth. Hagen continued with a grin sarcastic stamped on his face:

"You should tell your men to be silent. You know better than me about how silly it is to give up your goals to the enemy…"

Marzia shouted:

"Then spill it out! How much to you want?"

"Woah..." Recoiled Hagen. He swung his head left and right. "Who's talking-"

She pummeled a flame against his face. The chief ducked and grabbed her by the pulse. All his men pulled their weapons off their waists.

"W-W-What are you?" Marzia recoiled as she saw the red water healing the burn wounds on his face.

"Someone _much_ stronger than you, little girl."

"Stop." Said the Duke as he touched Marzia's shoulder. "Now is not the time to set fire to this hole." He glanced at Hagen's men. They vastly outnumbered the Fire Knights in his group. "Not yet."

She pulled her hand from the Northman's grip.

"How much?" Snorted Marzia. "How much do you want for the last raid's captives?"

"10000 kamaritan coins for every slave..."

The Fire Knights laughed at the absurd price. Yet Hagen continued:

"And 20000 for the Sforza prince."

Duke de Sforza groaned:

"You must think me for a jester, Hagen."

"I don't. This gold that I am charging you is only _half_ of what my other buyer swore to pay."

"I'm not giving 20 thousand units of anything for my son."

"But marshal, he is _your son_ …"

"I can make another."

Duke Arnaud de Sforza's men exchanged sights. Gossips roamed the crowd:

"Duke's bluffing, right?" Asked a Fire Knight.

"Dunno, man," replied another, "he sounds way too confident."

Hagen continued his offer:

"Behold, Marshal," Hagen stepped aside and revealed two Northmen holding Arnaud by the arms, "this is your son Arnaud. Isn't he worth it some gold?"

"No-"

"Arnaud!" Cried Marzia as she embraced the boy with all her strength. Tears sprung off her eyes. "You..."

"Oh, sis..." Arnaud smiled. "I missed you too-"

"You idiots! Verano and you!" Cried Marzia as she punched Arnaud's chest. "How could you be such an idiot?"

"O-Ouch, Marzia, damn it-" Arnaud closed his eyes as she gently pummeled him "You're hurting me, sis?"

"How you two dare to live me alone to live your stupid adventures! I'm gonna lock you in the dungeon forever, you hear me-" She froze. Her eyes searched left and right. "Wait," her heart tightened," where's Verano?"

Hagen glanced at her:

"Verano?"

"Tall, straight hair, tanned skin..." She explained. "There's no one quite like him. Where is _he_?"

Arnaud's eyes widened. A memory struck him and itched on his throat. He rose his voice:

"Dad, sis!" He spoke. "There something you must know about Verano. We think he is the-"

The Northmen closed his mouth with their hands.

"Where is Verano?" Sobbed Marzia. "He can't be dead, is he? He _can't_. I hear him every night. He talks about me—"

"Don't cry, little girl. No need for that." Smirked Hagen. "Your brother Verano's body will soon be here. Some slaves escaped during a Dark Spirit's attack in the mountains. We captured them and they confessed that your brother is even dumber than you think…"

"W-What do you mean? He's not in danger, is he?"

"Perhaps. Your brother, instead of escaping with the other captives, decided to help Thyra and her men."

"W-W-Why? Isn't that the witch who captured him-"

"Don't ask me why," chuckled Hagen, "all I know is that I've sent some men after them. If he's still alive, he'll be here by the end of the week. But why am I bothering telling this to you?" He narrowed his eyes at the Duke. "Your dad is unwilling to sacrifice gold for the sake of his own sons. It's useless. Unless," he blinked at Marzia, "unless _we_ join forces and persuade him otherwise."

The Northmen laughed as the girl gasped in anger.

"You are a scoundrel." She said.

"I'm _not_! I'm giving you a chance of a family reunion. If you still think I'm evil," he smirked, "wait and see what the kamaritans of Emir Al Portucal will do to your brothers when we sell them to him."

"The Kamaritans will buy them?" Marzia's eyes widened. "No, it can't be."

"Yes, they will. They care more about your siblings than your father himself, ha-ha," he chuckled at the Duke's face and turned turned around. "You have until the end of the week to soften your dad's heart, Marzia," he said as he walked towards the chief's mansion, "or else you'll never see your brothers again. _One_ week!"

Giovanni gritted his teeth with the man's every step. He remarked:

"That's insane. The Duke does not have that much gold. He'd have to convince King Heinrich to help, but that's not happening-"

"Don't worry, pretty boy," said a soldier by his side. Fox ears and a tail sprung through the breaches of the helmet. It was Candorra. "A good song at the right time scares _all_ the problems away." She said as she lifted her harp.

"Please _no_ _!" She held her._

Hagen watched from his balcony as Duke de Sforza left Edïm. Yet a voice bothered the Northman:

"You think he'll pay, boss?" Asked Svän, Hagen's second in command.

"Of course not!"

"Then why did you propose that?"

"That's obvious: although the Duke is a cold man, his söt (sweet) daughter isn't." He bit his green apple. "She'll convince him to organize an invasion at the last second to rescue her family. Thyra and her pathetic ancestors have always failed because they insisted on fighting the Fire Knight's war machine where they are stronger. I'll bring the war to our home turf, ambush their army, cripple their forces; and then set sail to Alba and end this pestilential war. I'll take King William of Alba's filthy fingers off the _Ring of Nibel_ that should belong to a Waterbender." He referred to one of the three rings that the _Spirits of the Deep_ supposedly scattered across the North Sea so that the Northmen would learn how to sail.

"Wait, you want them _to_ invade?" Svän recoiled. "W-What if they destroy us, boss? The men will not like fighting like that. One thing is assaulting the Fire Knights by surprise; another thing is fighting them for real..."

"My dumb Svän, listen: if they could destroy us, they'd have done that a long time ago. Now," he threw his apple away, "ignore that and update me about the situation of Verano and Thyra."

"I-It's going well, boss. Black Teeth's men must have reached the mountains by now. If Thyra and Verano are alive, he'll know."

"Did you give them my orders to kill Thyra upon sight?"

"Absolutely. Black Teeth was one of her closest men. He knows all her weak points. And she had a lot of them," he chuckled, "she must be dead by now."

Hagen's men followed footprints that led to a cave near the lake that Ness, the Sea Serpent, inhabited. The voice of Thyra echoed from inside:

"You dumb fire scum!" She punched Verano's head. "What are you even doing? Water's not gonna move because you are angry with it!"

"Damn it-" Moaned the boy with his hands on his wound.

"You've been here forever and this puddle is drying faster than you can bend the water out of it!"

"Of course!" Protested Verano. "You haven't taught me anything!"

"I don't know how to teach things, okay?"

"And that sums up the time that we've spent together."

"Wait," she held him by the shirt, "what did you say?"

"Nothing!"

She dropped him and Verano fell on his backs.

"Is it normal for the White Wolf to have so much difficulty?"

"I don't know, I…"

"You are sure that you are the _White Wolf_ _, right_?" She questioned him. "The myths of my tribe are vague. It's possible that the esoteric fools are mistaken."

Verano frowned upon his reflection the puddle. He confessed:

"I have my doubts."

"I see." She crossed her arms.

"Honestly, I don't think that I'm the Avatar." He frowned morosely. "People tell me that I'm special because my eyes flashed a couple times but I don't feel any different. I just want to free my friends and come back to Marzia and mom. I just know that they miss me and I must come back."

Verano noticed the reflection of writings on the cave's wall. The image distracted him from his insecurities.

"Thyra, what is written there?" Asked Verano as he re rose his eyebrows towards the runes surrounding the images.

"That?" She walked towards the wall and squeezed her eyes to see the scriptures with clarity. "Wow, this is the story of my people!" She rose her head to observe her surroundings. "This place must be close to the beach where my ancestors first landed on Alba..."

Two of Hagen's subordinates listened to the conversation. One of them whispered at his companion's ear:

"Tell Black Teeth what we've found them. Today's the day that her lineage will end."

 **Fragments of Lore**

 _Isolation is the norm in the Wild Lands_. Although Spirits always plagued the wilds and endangered trade routes, trade ships were slightly more common before the Caliphate of Camarilla conquered Hélika (the gateway of Europa and the East) and the Duchy of Portucal (the gateway between the Middle Sea, the North Sea and Afrika). Most people today have no idea that there is a world beyond the _Empire of the Holy Flame_ and its enemies.


	21. XV - A Tale of the North

"This is an ancient legend," explained Thyra as her fingers hovered over the writings on the cave's wall, "in the beginning of of our era, four brothers and their wives were the last survivors after the Spirits took over the realm of man. They found refuge under the shadow of silver tree named Yggdra..."

"We call it Heaven's Shrine." Said Verano as he pointed towards the image. "It's a giant tower that stretches into the sky. They say the Grey Guardian inhabits it."

"They taught me it was a tree."

"Don't trees have leaves?"

"Anyways," Thyra rolled her eyes and continued, "the Yggdra gave each of the brothers the power over one element of nature - Fire, Water, Earth and Air -, so that they could venture into the wilds and feed their families. Yet generations passed and the descendants of the brothers grew numerous and powerful. They started to climb the tower and the combined power of their elements rivaled the power of the Yggdra. Threatened, the tree had no option but to separate the descendants of the four brothers across the Wild Lands..."

"Wrong again." Interrupted Verano. "We're taught that humans grew greedy. They did the _Original Sin._ They invaded Heaven's Shrine in search of more power. _That_ is why the Grey Guardian expelled us all to different lands and gave us different tongues. That way the _Four Elements_ would never be united again and no human would ever desecrate the holy ground."

"Excuse me, firescum, this is the story of _my_ people. When I want to hear your penitent proselytism rubbish, I'll call you."

"What is that white square with a bunch of 'X's hanging on top of it?" Asked Verano nonchalantly. He pointed towards the drawing that came after.

"T-T-That's not a white square, you stupid fire scum! It's an iceberg with people on top of it."

Verano squeezed his eyes.

"I don't see it." He insisted.

"They are not bloody sticks! Är du dum? (Are you stupid?)"

"The drawing is not helping."

"Shut up!" Thyra screamed at him. "We are warriors, not artists!"

"It shows."

"These people that you are disrespecting," she thrusted her fingers against the drawings, "these are my ancestors. They are nothing like yours! The Yggdra was crueler with my people than with all the others. They banished us to the top of an iceberg where we had no hope to survive. For years, our people floated on the oceans. The resources were limited. We had to fight among each other to survive. You can imagine how this type of violence – caused by hunger and despair - rots people's souls."

"That is..." Verano frowned. "Terrible."

"It was. It only ended when the sound of our battles and cries of pain grew so loud that they dove deep into the ocean and awakened the _Spirits of the Deep_. They rose from the sea in our time of greatest despair and comforted what remained of our tribe. They gave us news of our sacrificed comrades. They said that they did not die and vanish, but rested in Val-Hella - the realm of the Spirits -; and that they awaited to join us once again when the End Times come. They said that _heroes never die,_ and these words never left our tribe."

"Was it your father who told you that?"

Thyra nodded. A rare smile crossed her damaged lips. She continued:

"The Spirits of the Deep taught us that we only did what it was necessary to survive. We had done no wrong. Just like the water that fills a lake will still shrink to fit through a crack in the stone and breathe life into a cave. Waterbending is about accepting who you are, where you are in the world and changing so that you can survive." She frowned upon the water that filled the puddles in the cave. "The Spirits of the Deep taught us how to bend the ice so that we could build ships and escape the iceberg. Yet we had no idea how to farm and mine once we reached the shores, so the Spirits gave us good winds so that we could raid other lands and survive. That was easier for us than hunting. The Spirits of the Deep freed us from the fear of death. We saw no good and evil in the world, only good and bad. We were like the waves and the floods: unstoppable."

She stared at a puddle and the tear stains on her reflection's cheeks ashamed her. "And I'm not going to be the exception," she kicked the waters and unmade her morose reflection, "sobbing and laying down hopeless is not who I am. I am the _Queen_ of the Northmen for a reason. I will come back to _crush_ Hagen and whoever..."

"Thanks!" Chuckled Verano.

"F-For what?"

"I see..." Verano frowned upon his reflection. "I think I understand now. I _am_ the Avatar. For better or for worse, that's just who I must be. Even if I don't like this hole where I'm in," he beamed upon a flower that blossomed by a puddle's side, "I'll never see what's on the other side if I keep hiding behind my doubts."

"That's way too positive interpretation. Were you even listening-"

"Thank you, Thyra! If anything, you're inspiring." He grabbed her hand and released it. "Your family taught you all that-"

"H-How dare you!" She pulled her head away from him. "I-I'm not inspiring!"

"You are inspiring."

"I'm not!"

"You are inspiring, Thyra!"

"H-How dare you, dum (dumb) fire scum..."

Claps and laughs echoed from across the cave. Four shadows eclipsed the light from the cave's entrance.

"What is this?" Asked Thyra.

"Oh, me? Don't mind me!" Chuckled Black Teeth as he sat down on a boulder. "Why don't you just kiss the fire kid and finish destroying the legacy of your ancestors, Queeny? Pretend I'm not here."

The three Northmen by his side laughed like a chorus.

"Is this what I think it is like, Arvid?" Asked Thyra as she stepped back. Light entered through the ceiling and lightened the weapons of the Northmen. "Treason?"

"This is no treason, Queeny," Black Teeth pulled his axe from the waist, "I'm just _doing what it takes._ It's tradition."

Thyra laughed alongside the Northmen.

"Bad for you that you're a traditional, Arvid," she smirked as she glanced towards the gutters. There was a large body of water flowing above the cave. "Because I am _one_ too."

She rose her sights towards the ceiling and drew a circle with her right hand. Concentrated water weighed upon the cracks and fell upon the Northmen's formation.

"Quick!" She pulled Verano's arm. "Run!"

"O-One moment," he yanked a stone from the ground, "let's go!"

They ran past the knocked down Northmen.

"After them, Captain?" Said one of them while he lifted a companion.

"No need to hurry, kid. Argh-," Black Teeth lifted himself from the ground and stretched his neck, "we got back up out there."

Verano and Thyra reached the rocky lakeside beneath the cave's exit, yet two more Northmen waited outside to welcome them.

"It _does_ seem that Hagen got popular." Said the Queen as she stepped back.

"You made it easy." Chuckled Black Teeth as his men left the cave to surround Thyra and Verano.

"Damn it," she gasped as she counted the 7 Northmen that encircled her. She leaned towards Verano's ear. "You choose one, I'll take the rest-"

Black Teeth threw his axe towards Thyra.

"Argh-" Thyra bended water around her right hand to block the attack. The weapon's strength knocked her against the ground.

"Angrepp! (Attack!)" Shouted Black Teeth as a water tentacle wrapped around his hand and pulled his axe back into his grasp. The Northmen attacked.

Verano groaned:

"There goes our strategy."

He spun around and kicked a circle of flames around him to halt the Northmen.

They faltered and staggered to block the attack. Burn marks formed on their skin and their fur burned. Yet Verano fell on his knees and coughed. The boy's heart accelerated. Firebending drained his ill body much faster than usual.

"Damn it, what's up with me? Argh-" He covered his mouth to cough.

Thyra gritted her teeth at the sign of blood around his lips. She was to blame. His pain bothered her more than him.

"Look at your opponent when you fight, Queeny!" Shouted Black Teeth as he dove his axe's blade against her.

She jumped back to dodge the attack yet she noticed that a Northman bow woman aimed from the bushes away from the lakeside.

"Chief Hagen will love this." Said the archer as water contracted into an ice arrow beneath her sights.

The projectile flew against Thyra and divided itself into a cloud of ice needles. They pierced through the queen's leg armor, and she fell on his knees.

"She fell for it! Grab the kid, I'll get the kill!" Ordered Black Teeth with a black smile that resembled a precipice. "Ha!"

He mauled his axe against Thyra. She bended the water from her canteen and formed a shield to block his attack. He repeated the blow and she once more rose the water to protect herself. Yet Verano noticed that her defense veil grew thinner with each block.

"There's no other way," rustled Verano as he picked the stone that he had brought from the cave. He closed his eyes and bashed the stone against his thigh. "Argh-"

"The rock should go against us, dumbass!" Shouted a Northman as he pulled the boy by the shirt.

Verano held his breath and blew a fiery kiss at the Northman's eyes. The man recoiled:

"Argh, it burns-"

The boy grasped his stone and threw at the lake. The blood from his thigh left the rock and drew a red circle onto the surface. Verano crossed his fingers:

"Please be awake, please be-"

Another Northman held him from behind and covered his mouth.

"We got him now, boss!" Shouted the Northman.

"Bra! (Good!)" Replied Black Teeth as he swung his axe and pierced through Thyra's defense. His weapon's wood hit her head and knocked her against the ground. "Send my regards to dad when you get to Val-Hella, Queeny. Argh-"

He rose his weapon over his shoulder to finish her. Yet the ground quaked. He lost his balance and looked back to find the source of the agitation. The Northmen rose their voices as they faced the lake:

"In the name of Bewulf, that is a-"

Ness, the Sea Serpent, sprung out of the lake. Its body rose a massive wave that consumed the rocky beach.

"Well done, brain." Said Verano to himself.

"Fall back!" Shouted a Northman as the creature stood on the shore. Thyra's axe remained on the monster's neck and maddened Ness.

"No, you cowards!" Intervened Black Teeth as he held his fleeing comrade by the shoulder. "We can't lose them-"

Ness dove its mouth against the escaping Northman and swallowed him whole. The creature only spilled the man's sword.

"Well," faltered Black Teeth as he saw his reflection in his dead comrade's fallen blade. He gathered air in his lungs. "Fall back!"

The Northmen's cries disturbed Ness. The serpent pursued them across the beach. One by one, the sound of their steps became silent.

Thyra's eyes widened as she witnessed the feast. She glanced at Verano and rose her voice:

"Quick, argh-" The ice particles that pierced her skin had melted. "Let's get outta here, fast-"

"Stay where you are!" Replied Verano with his sights laid upon Ness.

"W-Why would I do that?"

"That's what happens when you move." Said Verano as he glanced towards the sword from the swallowed Northman.

"Then what are we gonna do?" Asked Thyra as she watched Black Teeth's Northmen fall.

"She's hurt and confused." Said Verano as he pointed towards the axe that Thyra had thrown to scare Ness a couple days before. The weapon had went deeper into the Sea Serpent's flesh. "If I only I could catch my breath and bend, argh-"

Verano struggled to stand up. His heart felt as if a flame burned in his chest.

"Let me go, you stupid creature!" Shouted Black Teeth as he punched the creature's head. Ness had his chest in its jaw. "H-Help me, my Queen! Help-" cried the man as he disappeared in the creature's entrails.

"We gotta leave," murmured Thyra as she glanced towards Verano, "we are next."

"The only way is if I do the bond with Ness," he referred to the Verbündnis, the ritual through which a Fire Knight subdues a creature and forms an alliance with it. "But I can't bend anymore. Not like this."

"Maybe not Fire." She looked into his eyes as Ness turned towards them. "Water is not about stamina," she said as she faced the Sea Serpent, "i-it is about confident, timed, precise movement,". A shiver rose through her spine. The Northmen did not consider dying in the stomach of a creature different from being buried. She feared that there would be no Val-Hella for her. "You can do it, Verano. You're the White Wolf, right? The _Avatar_?"

That word weighed in his head. Yet he felt ready to carry the responsibility on his shoulders. Verano stood up and mimicked her posture.

"I am the _Avatar_." He replied.

Thyra rose her right hand and the puddles rose from the ground and formed a floating ring of water.

"It's coming!" She yelled.

Ness dove its head to swallow Thyra. Yet her water ring immobilized the Serpent's jaw like a muzzle. The creature recoiled and struggled to free itself.

"Is it working?" Asked Verano.

"No," she closed her eyes as the creature stretched the ring of water and dove its jaw against her.

Verano's eyes flashed white as he beat of his hands together and the ring around Ness tightened. The creature only tossed Thyra with its nose.

"Ness, look at me!" He walked towards the creature. His hands repeated a circular motion as he walked towards the axe that harmed the monster.

The Sea Serpent contorted and fought to bite Thyra, yet Verano tightened the ring. He moved the creature's neck so that it would stare at him.

"Let her go," he ordered. The creature leaned forward to bite his hand yet the water muzzle stopped the attack. "I'm here to help," he said as he glanced towards Thyra, "take your axe away."

She glanced at him and followed his orders. Her hand grasped the weapon's hilt.

"I'll pull it out now," she announced, "get ready."

Verano murmured without taking his eyes off Ness:

"It's going to hurt."

Thyra pulled her weapon out and the Sea Serpent moaned loud. Yet its snake eyes widened into two black pearls. The monster's claws retreated into its scales.

"Please stay calm," begged Verano as he frowned upon his hands. They moved involuntarily as if he had executed those movements a hundred times before. "I'll take the muzzle away now."

Thyra walked away in silence as the boy ceased to move. The ring of water collapsed and Ness bemoaned in pain.

"Calm down, I know it hurts," remarked Verano with his hand on the creature's snout, "just wait a moment and…"

He noticed that the ring's fallen water glowed white blue. He rose his head and noticed that Thyra bended a curative veil on top of Ness's wound.

"It's all over now." She whispered.

"So..." Verano smiled. "Youdo have a heart?"

"No," she replied with her hand on the creature's scales, "this is but token of my gratitude for crushing my enemies. And for giving my dad's axe back."

"It's her way of saying _she loves you_." Verano rustled at Ness's ears as if he shared a secret.

The Sea Serpent faced Verano in a tender manner. The creature guided its new friends to its hideout inside a crest.

"So it's really a baby," explained Thyra as she noticed that two large skulls surrounded the nest, "those must be the parents. They must have died from spear injuries while the eggs developed. People say that Sea Serpents take 5 years to hatch and 70 to mature. It's not surprising that it's an orphan."

"There are two skeletons?" Asked Verano while he played with Ness.

"It's a mom and dad. It is a monogamous species."

"So is Ness assuming that we are…"

"I'm not this thing's mom!" She crossed her arms and looked aside.

"I wasn't going to suggest that." He swung his head.

"So, you feel _bonded_ or not?" She asked. "Think she will take us back home?"

"I think I'll only know during a fight. We don't have time to test now," said Verano as he searched for a way to balance himself on top of Ness. "Edïm awaits."

Thyra climbed the Sea Serpent and it moved towards the ocean. She did not leave her hands off the scales for a second.

"Hey, how does it feel? You're really the _White Wolf_." She rose her voice to distract herself. Her eyes did not leave Ness's head. Her adrenaline collapsed and she imagined that the creature would lose its mind at any sign of food.

"It's unreal," he frowned without fear in his mind, "for a couple months; there was nothing that I longed for more than _not_ _being the Avatar_. Now I just feel embarrassed. If my wishes had come true, maybe you would not be here now." He grinned sincerely. "Yet I still have absolutely no idea how I did that Waterbending. It was as if I had another person hold my arms for me. Yet if I did it once, I am certain that I can learn it on my own."

They sailed towards the exit of a lake and found the bow woman who had injured Thyra. The Northwoman returned in despair towards a ship to alert Hagen of what happened to Black Teeth. The ship sailed south and Ness followed. Thyra was certain that the vehicle was heading back to Edïm.

The Moon fell upon a distant hill where Hagen stood. He laid his eyes upon the Wall of Siegfrieda.

"Boss, we got some information," said Svän as a mouse-pigeon rested a papyrus upon his hand, "some Spirit Cultists from Alba are telling us that the Marshal has bit the bait. He's planning an incursion against these lands. It'll be the first in ten years."

"Just as planned." Smirked Hagen as his long red hair gave shape to the breeze.

"But some observations, boss: the Marshal is not dumb. The spies are counting _many_ people. It's almost like he's trying to intimidate us into just handing them the slaves. The men are sure that if we fight them, it's gonna come at a high cost. We came to raid, not to war. The men are wondering if we should just leave and go raid somewhere..."

"Don't worry. Thyra's men will be at the frontline and my band will only reinforce them if necessary. You will be watching over Edïm during the entire duration of the battle. In exchange, I expect your silence about all information regarding the forces from the Marshal Duke de Sforza."

"Now we are talking, boss." Said Svän as he rubbed his hands together.

"And one last thing," began Hagen. "I want my ships supplied and repaired in case the battle goes miraculously wrong for us. I'll leave Thyra's men to stall and we get outta here with the slaves and the treasure. The Kamaritan ports will welcome us with open arms."

"So we leave Edïm open for the Fire Knights?"

"Pretty much," Hagen crossed his arms, "I never forced them to betray Thyra, did I?"

 **Fragments of Lore**

 _More Spirits roam the Spirit Steppes than there are stars in the night sky._ The _Spirit Steppes_ are a vast sea of plains that stretch from Hélika to the distant lands of Skandinavia. Millions of Spirits inhabit the area and no human has ever been able to settle the region and establish a kingdom. The only people who venture into the steppes are the Khuzaks: a nomadic tribe of Firebenders that once lived in the East before the Caliphate of Camarilla banished them. A remarkable trait of the Khuzaks is that they are possibly the last Firebenders who have not converted to the _Penitent Faith_.


	22. XVI - The Grave of Empires (Part I)

_Carissimo Verano,_

 _It was the longest trip of my life but I am finally gonna see you again! Don't get your hopes up, ragazzo: I'm coming with vengeance in my heart! Why you forced me to come to this rainy, cold, miserable island that they call the Grave of Empires? The only good thing here seems to be that one salesman's cabbage... And it was still horrible! Not only you break your promise to come back to see the first snow with me, but you also make me come after you! Do you take me for a desperate damsel, Verano? Hah! You bet you'll have to pay me back for this! Double!_

 _I'm not the only person who wants to see you, though. Father brought Il Pugno Lombardo (The Lombardian Fist) all the way from the Duchy to rescue you and Arnaud. Uncle Mario is sadly not here because a Spirit injured him during a hunt, but many other Duchy's knights have come! King Heinrich of Aachen also donated some of his knights along with some of Alba's defenders to help us. Yet I can't help but feel afraid._

 _I'm writing two copies of this letter - one for me and one for Giovanni to deliver - in case the worst happens. The fog thickens as we approach the Black Hills south to the River Tummel. We keep hearing whispers from the mist, and the lowborn soldiers grow ever more paranoid. They scream like little girls whenever someone stumbles..._

 _I just want to let you know that whenever I get lost in this fog, my thought of you never lets me lose my way. I'll find you, and I'll take care of you._

 _La tua Marzia._

 _Spring 991. The Black Hills, Alba. South of Edïm._

"T-This is so romantic!" Said Candorra with a tear crawling out of her helmet as she read Marzia's letter. "Worth a poem!"

"Wait, this is personal!" Grunted Giovanni, Verano's architect friend. He stretched his arm to retrieve the papyrus. "Give me back!"

"No, it's not!" She pulled the letter away from the boy's reach. "The Princess does not care about _you_ , pretty boy! Only about Verano and the fatty Arnaud. Unlike-"

"She told me to deliver this to Verano in case something bad happened, okay?" He yanked the letter from her hands and hid the papyrus in his armor. "You shouldn't spy! Miseria (Damn it), I should've warned the Duke that you were sneaking-"

"Keep silent, stoltos (Stupid)!" Shouted a Fire Knight. His horse rode on their left flank. "You have a death wish?"

"W-We apologize!" Faltered Giovanni. "It's that my partner here-"

"No excuses! This place is a death trap," explained the Fire Knight glancing at his surroundings. "Can't you see?"

A forest surrounded the army from the east side and a sea of hills from the west side. Their column of warrior from the Empire of the Holy Flame walked through a barren plain that was not so far from the coast. Knights from the Pugno Lombardo (The Lombardian Fist), Marshal Duke Arnaud de Sforza's vassal knights, led the front of the column while the dismounted lowborn warriors like Giovanni occupied the center. Two hosts of horsemen ride on the flanks of the soldiers like a pair of metal wings.

Candorra and Giovanni exchanged sights and sealed their lips. Yet their silence was pointless. The soldiers' feet shook the earth like drums. The sunlight bounced from their armors, escaped the mist, and denounced their position to anyone who had eyes.

Two Northmen ships watched from the coast. An observer bended water to form lenses that allowed him to watch their enemies from closer.

"They're about to cross the Tummel," said the Northman. He referred to the river that the Knights would have to pass to reach Edïm. "This is _it_. Tell the boss it's time."

A sailor nodded at the man and tied a message to pigeon's leg. The animal flew into the clouds and landed on the arm of Hagen, the leader of the Northmen. He waited in his encampmen to the north of the column.

"Let's see," he smirked as he opened the letter, "now this is _just_ wonderful!" He faced his immediate and rose his voice: "Air in the horns and hands on the drums, boys! Today we dye the Black Hills red!"

His war band rose their weapons and chanted. Their combined voices roamed the coast like the moan of a thunder.

 **The Battle of the Black Hills,** _Year of the Guardian 993_

[img here]

"W-What is that?" Recoiled a chorus of a hundred voices in Duke Arnaud de Sforza's column. Their hands tightened around their spears as they looked at the sky hoping to see signs of a storm. "I-Is it gonna rain?"

"No, don't be foolish!" Intervened Candorra. "That's not how thunder sounds like! It was clearly just a thousand people screaming madly and with lust for blood-"

Giovanni covered her mouth.

"Whose side are you on?" He snorted.

"I'm-"

Giovanni saw the reflection of ice darts hailing from the sky in Candorra's helmet. He threw her against the ground to protect her. Ice fell upon the column and harassed the troops.

"W-What's this?" Asked terrified mouths among the warriors. Soldiers collapsed unconscious as the hail touched their helmets.

"Defend yourselves!" Screamed Arnaud de Sforza as he pummeled a flame into the sky and formed an umbrella of fire. He searched his flanks to find the origin of the attack. Yet the fog thickened, and drums echoed from all sides of the Black Hills. The Northmen confused their enemies' senses and spread fear en masse.

"T-They are everywhere!" Screamed a soldier as his companion fell.

The Duke frowned stern at the growing fear in the column. The soldiers scattered to defend their heads instead of protecting their companions.

"There's no way," he grunted as he faced his own vassals from the Il Pugno Lombardo, "The plebs are wavering. Spread across their lines and form a fire umbrella. Avanti!"

"Avanti!" Replied his horsemen as they dissolved their group to go defend the dismounted plebs.

Yet the silence from Marzia's horse bothered the man.

"What are you doing?" He yelled at her. Her hands shook and sweated as she held her mount's saddle. She looked at the ground expressionless. "Marzia, wake up!" He insisted.

"D-Dad?" She swung her head.

"You have orders. Weren't you paying attention?"

"R-Right, I'm on it!"

She noticed that Giovanni attempted to lift Candorra off the ground. The amount of armor that the Zigana had brought as disguise was far too heavy for her.

"Damn it, why are you so heavy? Argh-" Snorted Giovanni as he yanked the excessive armor off her body.

"I'm not a fatty!"

"I'm not saying that-"

She saw an icy arrow about to impale the boy's backs. Candorra recoiled:

"Look behind you-"

Marzia's flame melted the ice.

"Defend yourselves, avanti!" She yelled as she formed a fiery umbrella over their heads. The personal knights from Duke Arnaud de Sforza joined her. Their horses drew a mold around the troops as the Fire Knights created a ceiling of flame over their heads.

Yet Giovanni did not hear the girl's orders. The orange light bouncing from Marzia's cheeks highlighted her beauty and bewitched the boy.

"S-She's dreamy..."

Candorra remained lying on the ground. She closed her eyes and attempted to make sense out of the chaos engulfing the battlefield. She separated the sound of the icy arrows from the screams of the soldiers and the deafening drums of the Northmen. She tracked the sound waves through the fog in order to find the origin of the salvos.

"This is it," her eyes widened as she faced the forest to the Southeast and the hills to the Northwest, "it is coming from there!" She pointed at the two precise directions of the attackers. "You listening, pretty boy?"

"She's dreamy..." Slobbered a still bedazzled Giovanni. He did pull his eyes away of Marzia for a second.

"She _is..._ " Resigned Candorra. Yet sense re-entered her head. She slapped the boy's back. "Snap out of it! You're the smart one, remember? _Do the thing!_ "

"A-Alright!" He rose from the ground and pulled a tube from his vests. He equipped two lenses to the edges of the object and built a telescope. "Hopefully this will work," he aimed the lenses towards the directions that Candorra had pointed. His eyes widened. "We're surrounded! The Duke must be aware!"

"Yeah, go save the day, pretty boy!" Candorra said with excitement as Giovanni left. "Wait," she looked left and right and noticed that she was still lying on the ground. "Don't leave me on the ground! They're not gonna hear my music from here!"

The young architect hurried to warn Marshal Duke Arnaud de Sforza, who remained on the front of the column. Giovanni ran through endless lines of panicked soldiers who shook beneath the fire umbrella that the knights had raised. Ice fell from the sky and mauled the ground around the fiery defenses. The column was stuck in its position.

"Porca miseria (Damn it)," Giovanni told himself, "we are really vulnerable here! And these drums, argh-" he rested a hand on his ears, "no one can hear orders like this!"

The warriors from the Empire of the Holy Flame were stunned. A large smile paraded on Hagen's face. He left his encampment and joined his war band at the northern margin of the River Tummel. The pinned down soldier under the fire umbrella were a remarkable sight.

"And _I_ told Svän to prepare an escape plan?" Hagen chuckled. "This is _too_ easy! I did expect the Marshal to put up more of a fight. So foolish of me," he covered his mouth, "But I met the guy's son. I couldn't expect him to be much more than his offspring..."

Hagen walked towards the River Tummel and cut the tip of a finger. A drop of blood fell into the water. The Northman's _Ring of Nibel_ flashed as he moved his arms and the waters contracted. An ice bridge formed upon the river's surface. He took the axe from his waist and rose the voice:

"Cross the river! A chest of gold for whoever brings me the Duke's head, boys! Sign for the Divers to come out of the pond and for the axes to leave the woods," he pointed towards the fire umbrella, "we'll crush their forces from three sides-"

Duke Arnaud de Sforza formed a shiny flaming ball and threw towards the woods. The object shined like a second Sun in the mist.

"Vad är det ljuset? (What is that light?)" Faltered a Northman by Hagen's side.

"Desperation, obviously—"

Voices rose in the languages of the Empire of the Holy Flame to answer the man:

"Attack!"

"Angriff!"

"Charge!"

"Charger!"

"¡Al ataque!"

"Avanti!" Shouted Duke Arnaud de Sforza as he pummeled a cloud of fire to the skies. "Crush the impenitent!"

The Black Hills shook. The drums became silent as a wall of fire rose in the horizon. The sound of thousand hooves echoed across the valley. Flames burned around the spears of the knights of the 4º Pferde von Aachen. Their formation looked as if a jaw of fire was about to swallow the forest.

[image of the charge here]

All eyes narrowed themselves at the charge. Even the diving Northmen, who awaited to attack the column from inside a bond in the column's west flank, rose their heads from the water to contemplate the attack.

"Send them back to their Spirits, männer!" Yelled Count Wenceslaus, the Fire Knight who led the attack. "For the Guardian!"

The knights crushed the forest as if they stepped on grass. The horses passed and only left ashes behind. Their flames destroyed vegetation and enemies alike. A mountain of smoke and ashes rose to the skies. The mist faded as the Waterbenders who had created the fog had collapsed on the ground. Duke Arnaud de Sforza looked at the Northmen who faced him from the other side of the River Tummel. There was no fog to hide their fear.

"W-What are you idiots waiting for?" Snapped Hagen as he pushed a Northman's arm. "I told you to attack!"

"Sure, boss. You go first." Replied a Northman.

"What is this, raider?" Hagen chuckled. "Scared?"

"We just lost three whole hosts out there, boss. Maybe it's that." The man crossed his arms. "Why not just go back and pick a ship-"

"We still outnumber them 3 to 1! We just gotta be aggressive and this is over!"

"I dunno…"

"Those were Thyra's men! It's good that they are dead!"

"I find it hard that the west flank will attack with us, boss... The fire scum mowed down their people in front of their eyes. It was epic—"

"Of course they will attack! Message our men on the reserve," Hagen began, "tell'em they are authorized to attack any fleeing soldiers."

"Anything for you, boss…" He noticed that Hagen walked towards the column. "B-But where are you going?"

"I'll go show you how it is done." Asserted Hagen. He wore his helmet and crossed the Tummel.

Count Wenceslaus's horsemen had lost speed, yet they still advanced towards the ice bridge that Hagen. They left the ruined forests with confident smiles on their faces.

"That's _Hagen_ , t _he Red Tide_ _! Let's see if his blood is blue, lads!_ " Shouted the Count. He rode at the front of his horsemen with a drawn sword in hand. "Angriff!"

Marshal Duke de Sforza watched the attack with his teeth gritted.

"Wenceslaus, you idiota! Bring me back my horses!" Said the Duke as Scheherazade, his Lion-Lizard mount, ran towards the battle.

"Angriff!" Insisted Count Wenceslaus. The movement of his horse empowered the fiery aura around his blade.

Hagen smirked at the reckless attack. A drop of his blood touched the ground. His _Ring of Nibel_ shined.

"Die." Said the Northman as he rose his fists. A maze of red ice pillars rose from the ground and hindered the charge.

"Damn it!" Cursed Wenceslaus as his mount lost speed while dodging the pillars. The fire around his sword lost intensity. "Achten (Be aware!), he's blocking our vision—"

Hagen swung his axe against the Count's chest. The knight fell dead from his horse.

"Father!" Screamed an approaching Fire Knights with his eyes narrowed at Wenceslaus. "You'll pay for this, unpenitent;" said the man with his spear pointed at the Northman's chest, "attack!"

Two horsemen guarded his flank and joined the small charge.

"Adorable!" Laughed Hagen as he beat both palms together. Two ice pillars collapsed on top of the attacking knights.

More warriors found Hagen in the maze and engaged him. Yet they fell to his axe one by one. The ice maze stopped them from forming groups. They were easy prey for the Northman. Screams echoed in the maze.

"I must do something, argh-" Bemoaned the son of Count Wenceslaus as he crawled from beneath the ice. He rose his head and saw Hagen slaughtering his men. "Y-You'll die now, heathen!"

The boy unsheathed his blade to avenge his father. Yet Scheherazade's tongue wrapped around his pulse and yanked him away from the icy maze.

"M-My backs, argh—" Bemoaned the boy as he fell on the grass. He rose his head to face his savior. "M-Marshal?"

"Don't let your stupidity make a death in vain." Shouted Duke Arnaud with his eyes narrowed at the maze.

The ice melted and revealed a gasping Hagen standing around a field of bodies. He looked back towards his men waiting behind the River Tummel:

"That's how it is done. Attack!"

Hagen's warband crossed the river with large smiles on their faces. The troops that awaited on the west descended upon Duke Arnaud's formation. The diving Northmen sprung out of the pond and attacked the infantry at the heart of the column. Ice arrows rained from the sky once again.

Marzia rode towards Duke Arnaud's side.

"F-Father!" She rose her voice. "T-They are coming from three directions! W-What do we do?"

The Duke ignored her. Scheherazade took a step ahead and stretched its tongue towards the ice bridge that Hagen had built.

"You better run..." Remarked Duke Arnaud as he blew a cloud of fire at his mount's tongue. His flames ignited a substance that surrounded Scheherazade's taste buds. The animal's tongue became like a fiery whip that ignited the grass on the plain. His flames kept Hagen's War band on the other side of the River Tummel.

"Marzia!" Shouted the Duke as he threw his clan's blade towards her. "You are in charge now-"

She recoiled. Her shoulders shook as if she could feel the weight of her responsibility on her backs. Yet the man continued:

"Your orders are to get all the men there." He pointed towards a hill to the south. "Even you can do that, right?"

"R-Retreat? B-B-But Verano..." She clenched his fists. The thought of not seeing him again consumed Marzia.

"Are you listening or not?" His scream interrupted. "We are not going to win as long as they are choosing the battlefield. Let that idiot serve as an example," he glanced towards Wenceslaus's corpse lying by Hagen's side, "you want to end like his son?"

"A-Alright, I'll do it," she nodded reluctantly. "But you?"

"I'm off to test a theory." Said the Duke as Scheherazade charged against Hagen.

Marzia swung her head and turned her horse around. She stared at the column and saw that the diver troops engaged the heart of the army. More Northmen reinforcements descended from the west to assist them.

"Don't cower!" Ordered the girl as she pummeled a fire cloud against the sky. "We have the advantage for a couple minutes! I want oily arrows!"

She rose her head towards the Alba's bowmen who waited patiently behind the column. They rose their bows and fired a rainbow of arrows towards the divers who rose from the pond. Marzia jumped out of her horse and kicked a cloud of fire towards the sky. Her flames were warm enough to ignite the oil that engulfed the arrows. They descended upon the divers like a fiery hammer.

Her attack set the Divers' coats on fire.

"Stop the attack, argh-" Yelled their leader as he bended water out of the pond to heal his men. Yet the flames had interrupted their charge.

Marzia's infantry gained confidence. The lowborn soldiers charged en masse at the recovering divers. Their leader ran back to the pond:

"Retreat!"

Candorra laughed while she played the harp. No one had lifted her from the ground yet:

"After them!" She yelled at the infantry. "It'll make a better story-"

Marzia pulled her from the grass and sat her on the back of her horse. Candorra moaned in pain:

"Ouch, my arm-"

"Don't pursue them!" Ordered Marzia. "Towards the hill, follow me!"

"Wait, Princess!" Yelled Giovanni as he pursued her horse. "Help me too..."

The horsemen from Il Pugno Lombardo gathered around the girl. Their backs hid her from the young architect's sight.

Marzia's forces ran towards the hill and formed a defense line. She quickly understood her father's orders: there were only two natural ways to climb the hill. The Northmen's numbers lost value as an advantage.

[day 2 img here]

"They are stopping..." Sighed Marzia with her sights laid upon the horde of Northmen. They waited on the plains instead of attacking. She looked back and saw that her men were as exhausted from running as their enemies were. The column's orders were to form an encampment and build defenses for a second day of battle.

Yet Giovanni did not obey her orders. He had his telescope's lenses planted on Hagen. The boy asked himself:

"What in the world is the Duke doing? Is he getting captured on purpose-"

"Scusami. (Excuse me)," said Marzia as she pulled the machine from his eyes and attempted to see her father. "H-How does this cosa (thing)…"

"You must close one eye to make it work, princess."

Marzia followed his orientation saw her father standing in front of Hagen. The Duke spoke with his enemy while Scheherazade watched.

"I must say," faltered Duke Arnaud de Sforza, "your style of Waterbending is..."

"Overwhelming?" Suggested Hagen. "Unique? Impressive-"

"Familiar." Said the Duke as his enemy's smile collapsed. "You mix your own blood to make water function as precisely as an extension of your body. I've only heard of one family that has developed this skill…"

"Where are you trying to get to, Marshal?" Hagen bit off his green apple. "I'm sure you'd not get yourself caught just to bother me with you theories-"

"You don't happen to be a bastard from King Gottfried of Litvia, do you?" He referred to Litvia, a Waterbending confederation of tribes that converted to the Penitent Faith and joined the Empire of the Holy Flame as an Elector-Kingdom.

The Northman touched Duke Arnaud's throat with the tip of his axe.

"Say _those_ _words_ and they'll be the last one you'll ever say, Marshal..."

The Duke smirked. He glanced towards Scheherazade. His lizard was supposed to save him if he caught himself in peril. The Marshal's lips moved on their own as he heard his enemy's challenge:

"You are not a _real_ Northman-"

Hagen swung his weapon at Arnaud's face. Yet the Fire Knight channeled all the fire inside him and breathed a cloud of fire so hot that the metal in his opponent's hand glowed.

"Argh-" Agonized Hagen as he fell on his knees. His face burned intensely.

His war band surrounded the Duke. The Northmen tied his gasping body and his mouth. Yet Arnaud's pupils remained active and he planted his sights firmly upon the _Ring of Nibel_. He noticed that although Hagen agonized and was unable to bend, the jewel shined and lifted water from the ground to heal the man.

"As I feared..." Rustled the Duke to himself.

"I-I was just gonna kill you, old man. But now, argh-" Hagen groaned in pain. "I'll make you all _suffer_. You, your son, your daughter; you'll all pay-"

Marzia recoiled away from the telescope. She fell on her knees.

"A-Are you alright, princess?" Asked Giovanni. "Everyone's waiting your orders."

"F-Father is not gonna come…"

"Princess?" Faltered the boy. "You know what to do, right?"

Tears fell on her thighs. Her armor reflected the faces of all the people whose survival depended her. She did not have Verano to share the weight with her, and Arnaud was not there to distract her from the pain. Marzia rose her head towards the plains. All that she saw was a horde that could descend upon her troops at any moment.

"I-I can't do this alone..." She sobbed undecided. Her fists clenched. She knew that her mistakes would cost blood. "I need Verano."

The wind carried her words to the North.

Verano recoiled as he faced the direction from Marzia's voice. His heart tightened.

"Something wrong, White Wolf?" Asked Thyra. She sat with him on the backs of Ness, the baby Sea Serpent. The animal also faced the boy, worried.

Verano swung his head and glared at Edïm, the Western Water Tribe. They had finally arrived to recapture the city and free his friends.

"Nothing's wrong," replied the boy as he frowned at the map that Marzia had given to him in the day that he left the Duchy of Sforza, "I've never felt closer to where I must be."

 **Fragments of Lore**

 _The only universal value in the Wild Lands is the love for beverages_. Every culture has a particular beloved drink: the Feudal Lords of the _Empire of the Holy Flame_ take immense pride of their wine and vine yards. The clergy from the _Church of Heaven's Shrine_ is famous for its more than 3000 types of tea (and their herbs' supposed healing capacities). The _Northmen_ from Skandinavia love mead and the _Kamaritans_ from the _Caliphate of Camarilla_ used to be famous for their ale before the _Caliph_ outlawed the consumption of all alcoholic beverages.


	23. XVII - Dumb Fire Scum

"This job's so boring, argh-" Yawned a Northman. He guarded the only bridge that led to Edïm's dungeon, where the Northmen's slaves were kept. "I wish something would happen. Anything!" Ranted the man as he picked his nose and threw the wax into the artificial lake that surrounded the building.

"I got nothing to complain," remarked his companion, "as boring as this may be, I'll take guard duty to fighting the Firebenders any day-"

"Hey, over there!" His partner pointed towards the calm waters. "D-Did you see that?"

"See what now?"

"A monster! Dark as the night!"

"Really?" Faltered the man's companion, skeptical. He frowned upon the Moon's reflection on the water's surface. "I'm not seeing anything, bror (Brother)..."

"I swear I saw something! It had the neck of a serpent!"

"A cloud must have covered the Moon for a couple seconds..."

"I swear I saw something, man! It was not my imagination..."

"Is it mead that I smell in your breath-"

An axe's hilt dove against one of the Northman's head. He fell onto the bridge, unconscious. His partner recoiled:

"Intruder-"

A fist of water rose from the lake and knocked the second guard against the floor.

Ness rose its head over the bridge and yanked both men by the leg.

"Good girl," remarked Verano as he faced the dungeon at the end of the birdge. He was the figure who had knocked a Northman out with an axe. "They are out. I'll continue now, Thyra-"

"Don't be dumm!" Remarked Thyra standing on Ness's backs. "Wear their uniforms," she frowned upon the unconscious Northmen. "I always kept at least two dozen eyes surrounding this place. If you draw anyone's attention, I might no help you. I don't save _stupid_ -"

Verano undressed himself.

"W-W-What you doing?" She recoiled, blushing.

"What you just told me to!"

"A-At least wait until I turn around, dumb fire scum!" She looked away and crossed her arms.

"You sort of remind of court damsels sometimes..." Remarked Verano as he wore a Northman's helmet. "You know those that never leave the castle and they become scared of everything? You remind of them. Except you'd wear someone's neck instead of a necklace."

"Are you donating yours?" She rested her hand on her axe's hilt.

"No time for this, I gotta save my brother." Said Verano in full Northman armor as he climbed the bridge. "Don't let anyone follow me."

Thyra growled like a mad dog. Verano's innocent ways maddened her.

"I hate him so much," she glanced at a confused Ness, "I _really_ do."

The boy reached the dungeon. He crossed the dark corridors and reached a locked gate that led to the hallway of cells where his friends were.

"Okay," sighed Verano as he frowned upon the lock. He poured a flask of water into the keyhole. "How Thyra taught me: the Waterbender way to open doors..."

He moved his arms in an attempt to shrink the water and form an ice key to fit the lock.

"Porca miseria! (Damn it!)" He failed to bend. The water poured out of the keyhole. "I must try again-"

Familiar voices fueled his will to succeed:

"Verano must be dead by now! Estamos muertos (we are dead)!" Said Juan, Verano's Spaniard Fire Knight friend from the Kingdom of Badajoz.

"Snap out of it!" Said Áine, a female Fire Knight from Alba. "He'll be back soon. Any minute now!"

"You've been saying that for months! Your optimism drives me mad! Didn't you hear that they will sell us to a Kamaritan Emir? How can you be so positive?"

She only repeated herself:

"Any minute now!"

"¿No puedes callarte? (Can't you shut up)" Snapped Juan as he held the girl's neck with both hands. "I'm trying to feel hopeless here!"

"Guys, it's no use fighting, okay?" Interrupted Gavrila, the short warrior from the Duchy of Ungarn, as he separated them both. "You only make things worse-"

"Any minute now!" Insisted Áine.

"Now she's doing on purpose!" Protested Juan.

A fourth voice crawled from another cell:

"Damn it, you guys are annoying!" Said Arnaud Jr, Verano's brother, as he covered his ears. "I'm trying to sleep!"

"Didn't you hear? They are gonna sell us to Emir Al Portucal! You never lived in his vicinity, did you? That hombre (man) hates Fire Knights more than anyone!

Áine still repeated herself:

"Any minute now..."

"Okay, listen..." Began Arnaud Jr with his eyes narrowed at Juan. "I try to look at the bright side and you should do it too: as bad as this Emir dude is, he's still better than spending an hour with you guys."

'H-How dare you?"

"You, Juan," Arnaud sat on the ground and pointed at him, "As a Fire Knight, you are an extraordinary poet!"

Juan groaned:

"Oh, you..."

"Gavrila," continued Arnaud with his eyes pointed at "stop trying to keep order, man. It did not work once and it will never work! You're talking to walls here! Trying to keep people's anger down just make them angry with you too."

"I-I do not agree..."

"And you," Arnaud looked at Áine, "please _stop_. I know my big brother."

"Any minute now! You will look really stupid, Arnaud!"

"Whatever..." He rolled his eyes. "My point is _you_ _are all worthless_. It's _my_ father and _my_ sister who are coming to rescue us. _My_ brother is the Avatar. It was _I_ who risked my life kissing Hagen's shoe hoping that he'd set us free. It was _me_ who tolerated the Queen Mother for months…" He referred to Thyra's mother, the chief priestess of the tribe, "All so that _you_ _guys_ would not be treated like animals! So can you guys be considerate _for the first time in your lives_ and let _me_ take a 5 minutes nap without buzzing in my ears with your repetitive cazzata (crap)?"

"I'm going to break you in half if they put us next to each other, Prince." Replied Juan.

"I knew you'd not stop." Arnaud Jr rolled his eyes. "So at least bark a little bit less loud, okay? My only relief is that we'll never have to share the same air ever again-"

Verano opened the boy's cell, and the boy recoiled:

"Hür ar de fatt- (What is going on)"

Verano took his helmet off. Arnaud rose his voice:

"B-B-B-Big bro?"

The sight robbed him of tears. Arnaud could not believe that his brother had come.

Verano smiled:

"I-It's me, Arnaud. I've come-"

"Big bro, big bro! You're alive!" Sobbed Arnaud as he embraced Verano "I'm so happy!"

"It's Verano, guys! Look!" Giggled Áine with both hands clapped together. "I knew he'd come! I told you guys that he'd come!"

"You did?" Smirked Gavrila. "I could not notice..."

"Hope he frees us fast..." Remarked Juan as he snapped his fingers. He had his sights laid on Arnaud's neck.

Verano rose his voice:

"Listen, guys. I'll give you the keys, but I need you to free as many as you can from this dungeon." Remarked Verano as he opened the cell from Juan, Gavrila and Áine. "There'll be a Sea Serpent waiting outside. It'll take us out of here."

"No, brother, uh..." Hesitated Arnaud as he glanced at Juan, who had blood in his eyes. "It might be too risky, you know? We can rescue these three later..."

"Today is our best bet, Arnaud," explained Verano, "Edïm is strangely empty today. You people get everyone off the dungeon while I'll go to the chief's hall, giusto? (Alright?)"

Áine rose her voice:

"You won't come with us?"

"I made a promise. I must help Thyra reconquer her tribe. She's alive..."

"Hagen's not here, Verano," said Áine Áine, "he took most of the tribe's warriors to go fight your father, the Duke. I heard Duke Arnaud came with Marzia to save you and your brother. They must be engaging the Northmen in battle now. He left Svän, his fat immediate, in charge-"

"Wait, Marzia?" Verano recoiled. His heart tightened. "She's in Alba?"

"You thought that sis' would just sit down and wait for us?" Smirked Arnaud. "She likes us too much to make the smart choice!"

"So she did not forget me." Verano sighed in relief. A large smile sprouted on his face and lightened the dark. "I'll save her, no matter what."

"You wanna know what?" Asked Arnaud Jr. "I'll come with you, Verano," he glanced at Juan, who had not taken his eyes off the boy for a single second. "W-We'll have more chances if we work together, yes!"

"Wow, Arnaud," recoiled Verano, impressed. "You're so brave!"

Juan commented sarcastically:

"You wouldn't imagine..."

"Now let's go!" Said Verano. "The earlier we get outta here, the earlier we can help Marzia-"

The boy swung his head left and right. He could not see Flavius, his priest friend, anywhere. "Wait, where is Flavius?"

The group sealed their lips. They exchanged morose sights.

"Verano, he..." Gavrila swallowed dry. "H-He was ill. He did not live much longer after you were sent to the mines."

"H-H-He is dead?"

"He had that disease from even before he was imprisoned. He lived long with it and died with a smile on his face. He met the Avatar before he died. I'm sorry," Gavrila delivered the priest's rosary to Verano, "he told us to give you this."

"Thank you for everything, Flavius." Said Verano as shoved the tears off his cheek. "Let's go now, Arnaud..."

"You sure you are alright, bro?"

"Yes, I am..." He wrapped the rosary around his right arm like a bracelet. "Let's not make it all in vain."

Both brothers ran out of the dungeon. Yet a question brewed in Arnaud's throat as they left the building:

"So, you mentioned Thyra survived and that you're working with her..."

"Yeah?"

"Care to explain?"

"She's a bit rude. She turns sweet when she is not paying attention, though..."

"Not that, Verano. I mean, how did you get her to not wanna kill you?"

"It was hard."

"Really?" Inquired Arnaud with raised eyebrows. "Is that _it_?"

"I'm sorry, argh-" Verano coughed. His right hand rested upon his chest. "It's a bit hard to talk and run at the same time."

They reached the dungeon's exit. Ness swum by the side of the bridge, yet Thyra was nowhere to be seen.

"Damn it, where is she?' Faltered Verano while he massaged the Sea Serpent's head. Ness lowered its head upon the Queen's muddy footsteps to catch the boy's attention. "Oh, footsteps," he crouched to see them from close, "thank you, girl. I'll look for her," remarked Verano as he turned around. "Follow me, Arnaud-"

"Tell me when the monster leaves the way." Whispered his brother while hiding beneath the dungeon's gate.

"What're you doing? She's harmless!"

"And I'm smart!" He did not move an inch.

"I told you there'd be a Sea Serpent..."

A man's scream echoed from the tribal chief's mansion. Verano recoiled:

"Must be her! Let's go!"

"Oh, damn it!"

They ran across the empty streets of Edïm. Fallen bodies dotted their path.

"Must be Thyra." Said Verano. The blade marks on their armor reminded him of her axe. "Come, I think she's inside the building!" Said Verano as they followed her footsteps into the chief's manor. "She must be close now-"

Thyra's arm rose from within the building's shadows. She yanked Verano's body and bashed him against a wall. Her axe kissed the tip of his chin.

"Let him go!" Warned Arnaud with his hand near her face. A blaze burned on the tip of his fingers.

"Argh, it's you-" Snorted Thyra as the fire revealed Verano's face in the Northman helmet. "Can't you take this armor off? I was about to kill you."

"But it was you who told me to wear it-"

"Quiet!"

 _"She's sweet when you are not paying attention_ , right..." Chuckled Arnaud while he repeated Verano's description of the woman. "She's a-"

Thyra silenced him with the sight of her axe.

"Want to die?" She asked.

"I-I'm so-"

Svän's words trickled through the ceiling's cracks:

"You're finally here, Yngrid. Did Black Teeth find the Queeny?" He referred to Thyra.

"He did, but-" The woman faltered. She was the Waterbending bow woman who injured Ridda with her ice arrow. "The White Wolf was there. He used his blood to lure a hungry Sea Serpent out of a lake. We got attacked and everyone was swallowed."

"Oh no," Svän snorted, "boss's gonna be _really_ mad when he comes back from the battle."

"Battle?"

"The boss rallied the whole tribe to go fight the Fire Knights near the River Tummel. He left me to prepare our ships to escape in case things went bad."

"Will he take long to return?"

"No idea, argh..." Remarked Svän as he lifted his heavy body off the table. The man opened the doors to his balcony and observed the ships that he had prepared. "Depends on the Fire Knights."

"So maybe we can just hunt somebody and say that it is Thyra? We could divide the bounty."

"That's a good idea." Remarked Svän as he sipped his bottle of mead. "Screw this place, really. I don't understand what the boss wants from Alba. We signed up to get some treasure, not to go on a campaign. My only relief is that it's Thyra's people who are being used as fodder, not our guys. I think that if he hadn't one of those _Rings of Nibel_ , we'd have already done a mutiny-"

He felt cold steel touching the back of his head. Svän turned around and saw Thyra on the other side of the weapon.

"Stand down," she ordered. He looked over her left shoulder and saw that Yngrid was unconscious on the floor. Verano and Arnaud stared at him where the woman once stood.

"W-Where did you came from?"

"You talked too much." Replied Thyra. Her axe sliced the tip of his skin.

"Alright. Easy there, Queeny..." Bargained Svän. "There's no beef between us. I just follow orders, okay?"

"Where is Joël?" She referred to her master and second-in-command.

"Joël? He's in Val-Hella, Queeny..."

"I'm being serious!" She tightened her grasp of the axe.

"Me too, Queeny..." Svän sighed.

"You want to die, don't you?" She swung her head. "He can't be..."

"He is, _Queeny_. I have no reasons to lie. The guy was loyal to you and he paid the price. That sums up what happened."

Tears sprung out of her eyelids. Her grasp of the blade weakened.

Svän smirked. He moved his fingers.

"Thyra, watch out!" Yelled Verano.

The mead sprung out of the bottle and flew at Thyra's sights.

"Help!" Screamed Svän for all Edïm to hear. "Help-"

The tip of the Queen's axe touched him once again.

"You seriously thought that would work?" She asked with her blade on the man's neck.

"Cursed be Edïm's cheap mead, argh..." He rose his arms, surrendered. "Okay, you got this, Queeny. But just one warning," he smirked as he glanced towards the city, "you gonna have to do something about them."

The man's scream agitated Edïm. Lanterns lightened across the dark city. Northmen ran towards the Chief's Mansion.

"You are wrong. I won't do anything about them," said Thyra, " _you_ will."

"I'm open-minded, but-"

You don't want to die over a place that has no meaning to you, Svän. You were planning to betray Hagen's trust for a little bit of gold. Your life is surely worth much more..."

"That's a fair statement…" He smirked.

"You can have all his fleet if you want, I don't care. All I need is for you to open your big mouth one more time and share a couple of Hagen's secrets with them." She glanced at the people.

"They'll think that I'm talking because you're threatening me..."

"Then what those ships are if not obvious proof?" She referred to the fleet that Svän has supplied for Hagen. They planned to abandon Edïm to the Fire Knights if the battle turned against them. "Spill it." She kicked the man's back. Svän stood on the balcony under the sights of the entire tribe. The whole community amassed outside the Chief's Manor.

A Northman pointed at the scene, outspoken.

"I-Is that Queen Thyra?" He asked. A crowd grew outside the chief's manor.

"She's back!" Yelled a man. "Our Queen is back!"

Agitation in favor of the Thyra scared Hagen's warriors away from the manor. They blended in the crowd and held themselves from attacking in fear that the people would raise against them. Most of Hagen's loyal warriors were still fighting on the Black Hills.

Yet Svän held himself from speaking to the crowd. He stuttered and stalled as he searched for the correct words to address the masses.

Verano waited impatient for Svän to speak.

"Thyra, you think you can get these people's support again?" Asked the boy.

"I think _yes_ ," she explained, "the Northmen will forget their allegiance in order to survive. If I can get at least the majority back to my side, the rest will just accept me. And even if that does not happen, I'll go south and crush that lizard Hagen by myself."

"My sister is in danger right now." Asserted Verano. "I need to go. Where did Svän say that she was?"

"Black Hills. River Tummel valley..." She glanced at Hagen's strategic map that stamped a wall. "Take the map."

"I-I can't read these runes..." Remarked Verano. He frowned upon the Northmen's writings.

"I can!" Said Arnaud. "Having been the Old Mother's assistant has its perks."

"That's great, Arnaud! So," he narrowed his eyes at Thyra. "We'll take Ness and go through the sea. It might be faster," he explained. "I'll meet you there?"

She nodded.

"Let's go, Arnaud!" Said Verano as he turned his backs towards her.

Yet Thyra's heart tightened as she saw the boy leaving the room. Her emotions spoke louder than her pride for once:

"Verano!" She rose her voice. "P-Please…" A blush reddened her pale face. "Please be careful."

Verano stared at her. Her tears from hearing of Joël's death had not dried yet. He wondered how few people whom she held dear were still alive. A smile sprouted on his face as he realized that she cared for him, and that he cared for her just the same. Verano felt the need to protect the little happiness that remained in her life.

"I will," he replied, "I will take care of myself. I-I'll be your dumb fire scum for as long as it takes!"

She beamed at him. Yet her smile disturbed Arnaud as he heard their conversation. A thought struck him.

"Wait, are you guys-"

"Absolutely not!" Replied Thyra, blushing. "Now get outta here!"

"I wonder what I do that angers people so much." Remarked as he left the manor alongside his brother. They returned to Ness to gather the Fire Knights and sailed to the Black Hills without drawing the attention of the locals.

The Sun rose from the East and brought light to Alba.

The Northmen standing on the Black Hills rose their heads and saw that Marzia and the warriors from the Empire of the Holy Flame formed a defensive circle around a hill.

The girl looked at their ranks through a telescope. They were so many that she could not even see the grass between their lines. Her arms trembled as they marched towards her position. Her warriors looked at her hoping for orientations. Yet she felt as if their expectations crushed her.

"Verano..." Rustled Marzia to herself. "Please don't leave me alone here."

The Song of the Wind carried her whisper to Verano's ears as Ness approached the shores of the Black Hills. He rode the Sea Serpent along with Arnaud, Áine, Juan and Gavrila.

"There must be where she is..." Said Verano as he saw a hill covered under red mantles. He knew that was the color of the Kingdom of Aachen. Yet his stomach wrapped not in fear of the enemies whose feet shook the earth, but of not knowing what to say to Marzia when he saw her again. "Don't give up, Marzia, please," he stared at the shore of the Black Hills, "I'm finally here for you."


	24. XVIII - When Fates Clash

**Battle of the Black Hills (Day 2)** , _Year of the Guardian 993_

[img]

"The Sun is here..." Remarked a Northman Scout standing on a ship. The thick mist enshrouded his face. "Can you see the valley now, Hök?"

"Ja (Yes), no sign of reinforcements from Alba. Send a sign to the boss," replied Hök. He had an ice telescope attached to the left eye. "Damn, King Heinrich is really a scoundrel. I think he'd only come if it was to steal a victory. But there's _no_ _way_ that is happening..."

"Message sent, argh-" bewailed the man's partner as he released an agitated pigeon to the skies.

"Somethin' wrong?"

"Stupid bird cut my finger!" Complained the Northman while he kissed the wound in his right hand.

"Impossible, I treat that thing better than my son!" The telescope holder sneered as his sights hovered over the mountains. "What did you do?"

"I don't know. It just seemed scared..."

The waters beneath the ship's hull were turbulent. The agitation bothered the wounded Northman. He completed:

"Scared _of something_."

"Don't be silly-"

"C-Can you turn the sights away for just a second? Just to make sure we're safe? I don't want to die for this stupid rock."

"Is this _really_ necessary?" Complained Hök as he pulled the telescope from his sights and gawked at his partner's fearful expression.

The Northman nodded. Hök rolled his eyes:

"Whatever stops you from feeling insecure..."

The man turned his water scopes towards the high sea.

"As I thought!" He laughed. "I'm seeing nothing! More relaxed now, man?"

"No. What exactly are you seeing?"

"Nothing, I told you!" Hök squeezed his eyes. "Just something _odd_ ," he recoiled, "there wasn't a giant wave the last time I checked-"

Water stomped the ship and knocked both Northmen out of their ship.

"Dumheter! (rubbish!)" Remarked Hök as he swam back to the surface. "We are supposed to be master sailors! This is _just_ embarrassing!"

His partner faltered:

"Hök..."

"What now?"

"Look up..."

Hök rose his neck. Ness, a Sea Serpent, cast a shadow around the man. The creature was so enormous that its face blocked the Sun.

"Argh, get away! Fast!" Ordered Hök as he swam away with all his strength. A second scout ship floated closer to the beach.

"Think you're gonna escape?" Asked Arnaud. He stood on the backs of Ness alongside with Verano, Juan, Áine and Gavrila. "You thought wrong!" Said the boy as he prepared to pummel a fire cloud against the sails of the second ship.

"No!" Verano held Arnaud's hand. "If we destroy their way out, they'll fight to death. I've seen how the Northmen fight. It gets pretty ugly."

"Oh, man! I can't have any fun!"

Gavrila glared at the boat that belonged to Hök and his partner. The ship floated empty.

"What were they doing there?" He asked.

"Sending letters! Plenty of them!" remarked Áine as she noticed a box populated with pigeons. She jumped on the abandoned ship and stumbled on papyrus. Pages of letters littered the ship's deck. "I-I think they were watching from here," she balanced herself, "and telling their leader about what they saw!"

"Bueno (good). Then," smirked Juan, "maybe we can feed these savages some _false_ information! We use their own weapon against them! Gavrila," he gave the boy a feather, "to work!"

"Okay..." The boy reached the ship and rested the tip of his feather onto the papyrus. His eyes strayed away from the page as he wondered what to write. He narrowed his eyes at his companions, embarrassed. "I can't write the Northman language, guys. Their letters just look the same to me."

"Then gimme this!" Áine snatched the document from his hands. "Gavrila, you prepare the pigeons! Juan tells me what to write and I write!"

Verano's silence alarmed Arnaud. He noticed that his brother had a hand on his heart and eyes on the shore.

"Something wrong, bro? Are you sick?"

Verano hesitated.

"I'm just worried, tired, hurt and I want to see Marzia more than anything..." His stomach grumbled louder than thunder. "And now I'm hungry too."

Juan continued with his plot to fool Hagen, the leader of the Northmen:

"Let's buy time or something!" He suggested. "Write something abstract like _reinforcements are coming from the flank_ so that the Northmen will have to separate forces from their main attack!"

"Hope this bluff is not empty…" Remarked Áine as her writings darkened the page. "We can barely see anything from here. I wonder where that Hagen is..."

"Look no further," said Arnaud as he pointed towards a tall red pillar of ice standing on the northeast shore of the River Tummel.

Duke Arnaud de Sforza, the boy's father, kneeled down on top of the pillar. Rings of water surrounded him like chains.

Hagen stood by the side of the pillar. His smug grin seemed frozen on his face.

"I hope you enjoy this special sit that I've built just so you can watch the end of your lineage, Duke..." Said the Northman. Duke Arnaud de Sforza could see the hill where Marzia and his forces made their last stand. Column after column of Northmen marched to attack them. "Imagine the despair and rage that must be consuming her in this very moment," suggested Hagen, "she's stuck on a hill that was made an island: surrounded by enemies from all sides. She is inexperienced, young and insecure. She has no chance..."

One of the man's grunts interrupted him:

"Uh, boss..."

"What is it, you dumbom (fool)?" Asked Hagen, upset. "Don't you see that you've interrupted my sadistic speech?"

"I-I just think the Duke's not listening, boss," replied the man, "t-the pillar is too tall."

"Then what are you waiting for, then?" Recoiled Hagen. "Go up there and tell him everything I've said!"

"Fine..." His subordinate rolled his eyes.

"And make it sound menacing!"

"Anything for you, boss..." The man climbed the ice pillar and whispered Hagen's words at the Duke's ears.

Yet Hagen grew impatient. He crossed his arms and stomped his feet. His subordinate seemed to be telling his life story to the Duke.

"And?" Asked Hagen with his neck raised.

"Y-You don't want to hear his response, boss…"

"Just say it, I don't care!"

"Well, uh—" The Northman faltered. "He called you a 300 pounds little b-"

"Fine, that's enough! I see that his pride is still blinding him to the desperate situation of his daughter. How foolish," Hagen smirked. "I shall let the red paint on the hills speak for me. His men will fall-"

"High King!" Yet another man interrupted him.

"What is it now?" Hagen glared at his new visitor.

"I am Börn..." Replied the man as he took his helmet off. He was the Northman who was kind to Verano while the boy was in bondage. "I was one of Thyra's captains. I was chosen to represent them before you..."

"I already told them to attack."

"That's the problem, High King. The men are angry about the order. We had it far worse than anyone did yesterday. Hundreds got wiped out and most of us got injured," Börn scowled at the wounds on his vests, "and you've still ordered us to march at the front today. The fire arrows from the Fire Knights will just kill us all..."

Hagen rose his right hand at Börn to halt his speech.

"Then tell your men the following message," he pulled the axe from the waist, "if the men from the former Queen want to run away, they are free to do so. Yet if they exercise their right to cower and desert," Hagen simpered at the battle, "we'll just exercise our right of slaughtering deserters."

Börn recoiled.

"What-"

Hagen's axe silenced him. The blade swung against the man's body and scared his soul away with one blow. Börn fell dead onto the floor.

" _Point made_."

"B-Boss, you've killed him!" Said a Northman while he checked Börn's wounds.

"I'm tired of being disrespected! No one understands my ambition! Everyone seems one little inconvenient away from turning against me!" Snapped Hagen. _"Oh, High King, everyone's gonna die!"_ He imitated Hagen's low voice. "To Val-Hella with complaints! This is a battle, not a fishing trip!"

"B-B-But he can't tell your message if he is dead, boss!"

"I'll tell them myself, then." Smirked Hagen as he carried Börn's corpse on his right shoulder. His men only looked at him, aghast. "Keep the Duke entertained while I am out." He ordered.

Hagen rushed towards the hill where the Fire Knights made their last stand.

Marzia stood on a ridge from where she could see the Northmen's forces from the center. Warriors from the Empire of the Holy Flame reddened the two entrances to the hill with their mantles. They rustled prayers to the Grey Guardian while Hagen's men approached.

Two hosts of cavalry oversaw the battle from the northwest flank. Their leader was Adelhard, the son of Count Wenceslaus, the man who had died by Hagen's hands in the previous day.

"I'll avenge you, dad," the young man told himself while he waited for Marzia's fire signal.

Yet the girl stood expressionless on the ridge. Her hands trembled as she counted the enemies that her warriors had to face. They were so many that she could barely see the grass beneath their legs.

"I can't mess up, I can't mess up," Marzia told herself as columns of archers waited behind her, "I can't mess up-"

"Hi!" Said Candorra. She approached the girl by surprise.

"Not now!" Replied Marzia.

"Sorry..."

Candorra frowned while Marzia continued:

"Maybe if I tell Adelhard to attack when the enemies get too close—"

"Oh, yes! I almost forgot," Candorra interrupted her again, "Giovanni said they are close enough. We can begin firing the arrows!" She said, excited. "Sorry for taking this long to tell you, it's that I forget things easily…"

"How could you so airheaded, argh-" Marzia swallowed her frustration. "Grazie (Thank you), anyways…" Said Marzia as she unsheathed her sword. She took a step ahead and frowned at the wounded Northmen advancing at the front. She rose her voice at her bowmen: "Focus fire on the enemies that are closer! They're hurt already! Let's break them on the first volley, let's go!"

Her archers lifted their bows towards the Sun. Oil crawled down the tip of their arrows. Marzia rose her voice:

"Fire!"

Arrows flew. Fire Knights from Il Pugno Lombardo, the warriors from the Duchy of Sforza, rose their arms and pummeled flames to the sky. They formed a screen of fire that ignited the oil on the arrows.

Burning metal rained upon the ranks of the Northmen that once followed Thyra.

"Raise your defenses!" Yelled a Northman captain.

His men rose their shields to no effect. The flaming arrows descended from high in the sky and fell with the energy of a thousand falling hammer. Their steel pierced the protection of their victims, and their flames devoured their shields like termites. Northmen fell like leaves during a windstorm.

Volley after volley, Marzia's archers mowed down their lines. Yet they kept approaching. Thyra's former men absorbed the arrows like living shields while Hagen's men observed from behind.

"S-S-Screw this!" Resigned a warrior. He turned around to escape, and he hit his head against Hagen's chest. "H-H-H-High King?" Faltered the man.

"One more step away and you'll join him." Threatened Hagen as he threw Börn's body at the ground. The mark of his axe paraded on the man's chest for all to see.

The Northmen swallowed their complaints and narrowed their eyes towards the hill.

"He's here..." Rustled Marzia as she noticed Hagen's red hair. "This is for Verano! Raise your bows!"

Her voice echoed across the River Tummel Valley. Her bowmen followed her order.

"Not today, little girl..." Smirked Hagen, nonchalantly. He poured a drop of blood onto the grass. "The Marshal will love this."

Marzia continued her instructions to the archers:

"Aim at the center! Fire-"

The grassland turned grey. Hagen rose both fists towards the ridge where the girl stood. An ice ramp made of red water sprung out of the ground and opened a third entrance to the hill.

"Angrepp! (Attack!)" Ordered Hagen as he crossed the ramp.

His men echoed his order:

"Attack!"

The Northmen broke their formation and invested against the three entrances to the hill. Their war chants were so loud that the ground shook.

Marzia fell on her backs, catatonic. The red ice ramp connected the ridge from where she stood to the heart of the Northmen's lines.

"I-I don't want to die." Tears filled her eyelids as she gathered strength to protect the hill against the advancing horde. "Please," she rose her shield and walked towards the ramp, "I just wanted Verano back!"

The Song of the Wind carried her whispers towards her brother's ears.

"S-She's calling for me," he gritted his teeth, "I know she is." His hands tightened their grasp of Ness's back.

The Sea Serpent swam towards the coast at full speed with Verano and Arnaud on its backs. Áine, Juan and Gavrila remained on the scout ships to fabricate false information.

"We're getting close to the beach," remarked Arnaud, "but I don't think this thing can swim as fast on the ground. This is bad!"

"I have an idea," said Verano as he embraced Ness's neck, "please don't let me down, big girl."

The creature moaned gently. Verano bended a ring of water from his canteen and formed a collar around the Sea Serpent's neck.

"Wait, you think you can use your bond?" Faltered Arnaud. He referred to Verbündnis: an alliance between a Firebender and a creature that allows the human to use the creature's movement to empower the firebending. "Do you guys even have a bond?"

"I _think_ we do." Replied Verano.

"You think?"

"I'll try using Ness like a catapult. Remember when we were kids and I tried using fire to jump over that monster, Arnaud?"

"You almost killed yourself-"

"I'll do just that. But with 200 times the distance..." Remarked Verano as he grasped Ness's water collar. "At least." He swallowed dry.

"Just remember, Verano: when you did that, I was there to save your butt..."

Verano frowned, worried. He wondered what would be of Marzia and the Fire Knights if he failed. His insecurity weighed on his courageous heart that longed to see his sister.

"If I fail one more time..." faltered Verano as he glanced at his brother. He knew Arnaud would help him bear any weight. "You'll be there for me again, right?"

Arnaud chuckled. He swung his head and attempted to forget the criticisms that he often had about his brother's ideas. He knew that he could not think of anything better.

"You'll be there for me, right?" Verano repeated himself.

"Sempre. (Always)" Replied Arnaud. "Don't _even_ worry about that, 'cause I got your back! Now get the hell out of here and go save Marzia, big bro!"

"Grazie (Thank you)."

Verano felt more confident. He strengthened his grasp of Ness's collar. His eyes widened as he felt the movement of every muscle in the Sea Serpent's body. Its heartbeat became one of his. Verano could feel the creature's blood flow and warm together with his. His skin reddened. Smoke left the tip of his finger.

"This is it," he remarked as a fiery aura burned around his hands. Ness growled and swam faster towards the beach. "Now, girl! Let's do this!"

Ness dove its head into the water. Its backs sprung up and catapulted Verano to the skies. The animal's movement combined with his formed a fiery sphere around the boy's body. He stretched his arms, and two colossal blazes emerged from his hands. He crossed the skies like a meteor.

He had his sights aimed at the Northmen who climbed the ramp that Hagen had built. Arrows failed to stop them. Two new warriors replaced every fallen Northman who fell against the ground.

Marzia sobbed as she rose a shield at the invading horde. Warriors from the Duchy of Sforza ran to join her, yet they were not fast enough. The girl would have to face a hundred warriors by herself.

"Verano, please…" She whispered as her reflection appeared in her enemies' weapons. Her only urge was to for him with the childish hope that he would hear her voice. "Verano!"

Verano dove against the ramp like a hammer from the clouds. His flames broke through the ice and mauled the ground. The impact heaved the invading Northmen back to the plains. A cloud of smoke covered the crater that he had opened. All eyes narrowed themselves towards the crashing site.

Candorra walked towards the ridge. Her eyes widened as the smoke faded. She saw Verano standing in the creater.

"I-It's him," she arched her arm around Marzia, "it's Verano! I don't believe this!"

The Northmen echoed her assertion:

"I-Isn't that the White Wolf?" Asked a man. Yet another man replied:

"Yes! He's alive!"

Gossips roamed the valley from both sides of the battle.

Marzia fell on her knees. Her tears crawled from her face and covered the rosary of the Grey Guardian hanging beneath her neck.

"Verano…" She covered her face with the hands so that Verano would not see her crying.

"I'm so sorry for this, Marzia," he rose his voice. "I just keep making one bad decision after the other."

"You…" She laughed while tears surrounded her lips. A million emotions fought over her head. "Y-Y-You'll pay for this, Verano!"

"I'm sorry-"

Hagen rose from the ground. The boy turned his head towards his foe.

"Please go on, _White Wolf_! I'm just part of the audience…" Said Hagen. Verano's flames had wounded him directly. Yet the man's _Ring of Nibel_ rose water to heal his wounds.

Verano only stared the man. The smell of death, fire and steel filled his nose with disgust. The sight of Börn's dead body repulsed him. His flashed white for a second. He knew that he stood beneath the reason for all that suffering.

Hagen continued:

"I see that Black Teeth could not do his job, which is not surprising. At least he gives me a worthy opponent to make the battle more interesting." Remarked Hagen. He stretched his neck and shoved the dirt off his axe's blade. Verano's reflection gained shape on the weapon's edge. "Today I shall find out if the _Avatar_ bleeds."


	25. XIX - The Voices of the Past

"Hagen, the Slayer of Avatars..." Hagen pondered titles for himself. The glorious taste of his words drew a smile on his face. "No - Hagen, the Assassin of Legends -, yes! The possibilities are limitless! I can't decide! Captain..." He glanced towards one of his subordinates. Hagen's men formed a thick semi-circle of warriors, surrounding the hill where Marzia and her troops made their last stand.

"Y-Y-Yes, boss?" Asked a Northman. A drop of sweat creeped down his forehead. He could not take his eyes off Verano, who glared enraged at Hagen. The boy stood only ten steps away. The blood on the ground dyed his eyes into red. How come his opponent heard his own nonsense over the silent cry of the dead?

Hagen had no eyes for the boy. He gestured at his subordinate:

"Come here, Captain! I need a second opinion about this!"

"I-I-Is this necessary, boss-"

"Of course! How silly of you!" Hagen chortled. "If I choose the wrong nickname, this will all go to waste! After all, it is not every day that one gets to _kill the Avatar-_ "

"Shut up with all this crap!" Verano howled as he fired a flame against his enemy's face.

"Argh, argh-" Hagen kneaded his injury with both hands. The man collapsed on his knees. Smoke escaped from his wounds. The skin between his fingers glowed orange.

"People are dying and all you can think of is yourself!" Snapped Verano as his enemy agonized. "Alba has seen enough death already! How can you only see yourself…"

Marzia suspired as she watched the fight from a ridge. She saw that he was still the gentle, fearless boy who confronted their father. Verano continued:

"The people deserve peace more than anything! _You_ are just a stupid reason for slaughter! The pain that you are feeling is nothing compared to-"

Hagen laughed aloud. Verano stepped back, aghast.

"I-It can't be..." He faltered.

The Northmen laughed like a chorus at the boy's innocence.

"You saw that, Verano?" Giggled Hagen as he stood up with ease and pulled his hands off his face. He revealed a bright smile parading on his lips. The boy's attack did not even startle him. " _That_ was how it'd have looked like if it had hurt."

The _Ring of Nibel_ on the man's right hand shined. Waters rose from the ground and formed a bright cyan aura around the Hagen's wounds. His injuries healed.

"However, I must thank you-" Hagen frowned upon a droplet of his blood that Verano had shed with his flame. "Your incompetence did half my job." The man's blood sunk in the ground.

"What-"

Hagen swung his hands. Five bodies of red water tore open the ground around Verano. Marzia recoiled:

"Behind you, Verano!"

The Northman's waters slammed the boy's body one by one, and knocked him against the grass.

Marzia turned towards her bowmen:

"Aim for Hagen, now-",

"No, no, no; lady de Sforza-" Hagen faced her. "If you use yours," he glanced at her one hundred archers, "I'll use mine." He leaned towards the thousands of warriors surrounding Verano.

"T-T-Tutto bene (It's all fine), Marzia. Argh-" The boy rose from the grass. He pressed a wound on his left arm.

"How touching!" Hagen smiled at the scene. Red water floated around him. "The Sforzas sure love a beating. Come, White Wolf," he teased the boy with a hand gesture, "don't make me go there. You won't like it!"

 _He'll just keep me away with ranged attacks._ Reflected Verano as he observed the red bodies of water hovering around his opponent. _It's pointless to Firebend from here and tire myself - water is a much more defensive style. He'll just block my attack and strike me again. I must get close._

"How rude..." Remarked Hagen. "I told you to get close!"

The man thrusted his hands at Verano. His red water turned into a bear's claw and dove against the boy.

"Now!" Said Verano as he fired a swift flame at the water claw.

"Futile!" Mocked Hagen as the boy's flame unmade itself as it reached the claw. "See, I told you to-"

The fire unmade itself and formed a thick fog of smoke on the battlefield. The smoke concealed Verano. The water claw hammered the ground, yet it only crushed an empty patch of dirt.

Hagen remarked, frustrated:

"He got away..." The silence of Verano's scream confirmed his theory. "Now where did he go?" He swung his head towards all edges of the smoke cloud.

Verano lied down on the dirt. He held his breath so that he could Firebend.

"This is my chance," the boy said to himself as he fired a tiny blaze at the epicenter of the smoke. The light flashed for a second before the lack of oxygen asphyxiated its flames. Yet Hagen's pale skin reflected the light and denounced his position.

"Found you!" Said Verano as he sprung out of the ground and rushed at his enemy.

Hagen heard the sound of the boy's steps.

"Found you!" He said while clapping both hands together. His claw of red water divided in two and flew in opposite senses to crush the boy like a fly.

Verano closed his eyes as he recalled the teachings of Johann Martel. He felt the heat in Hagen's heart exposing his attempt to attack.

"I gotta go faster!" Said the boy as his eyes sprung open. He slouched his waist forward and stretched his arms towards his backs. Flames busted from the palm of his hands and propelled him forward.

"Escaped again?" Snorted Hagen as his water claws collided without a victim. "You're only postponing your demise, boy-"

The smoke opened like a curtain only one-step away from Hagen's nose. Verano was right in front of him.

"Mangialo! (Eat it!)" Yelled Verano as he spun his body and kicked the Northman's smirk off his jaw.

His kick hurled Hagen out of smoke cloud. The man flew like an arrow.

"Get away! Get away-" Yelled the Northmen as their leader fell upon them like a boulder. Their bodies padded his fall. Dust sprung from the ground around the crashing site.

Marzia leaned forward, excited:

"Avanti (Go), Verano!" She cupped her lips with both hands. "End this light-skulled impenitent moronic thug! Make him suffer! Make him feel like the sea drivel that he is! Go, Verano! Crush him!"

Candorra stood by the girl's side. Marzia`s excitement frightened her.

"B-Boy, the Princess really loves violence, doesn't she?"

Verano hurried out of the smoke cloud. He had his feet firmly aimed at his fallen enemy.

 _I must keep him busy! I can't let him heal!_ Asserted Verano in his mind. He pummeled and kicked flames at Hagen while he approached.

Yet his foe smiled at the threat. He lifted himself off the couch of Northmen and shoved the dirt off his shoulder, obviously oblivious to the fire.

"Playtime's over..." Said Hagen as he pulled his axe out of his waist. He ran nonchalant towards Verano. The boy's flames slashed and burned the Northman's body. Yet his _Ring of Nibel_ shined, and waters promptly rose from the ground to heal him.

Verano recoiled.

"Firebending is not working-"

A hand of red water grasped the boy's leg.

"Cazzata (Crap!)-" Cursed while he Verano struggled to pull his leg away.

Hagen dove his axe's blade against the boy's skull. Verano rose his hands, and a veil of water blocked the attack like a shield.

"A-Argh..." Verano gritted his teeth

The warriors from the Empire of the Holy Flame recoiled. They exchanged confused sights. The wind carried their gossips and speculations about what they saw.

"H-He's Waterbending?" Asked Marzia. Her eyes widened in the hope that she would believe that she saw. All her soldiers were aghast.

Yet Hagen only smirked at his foe's desperate attempt to defend himself.

"I see that Thyra taught you a thing or two..." Said Hagen while glanced at a drop of his blood dwelling in Verano's water shield.

"What?" Verano felt as if he lost control of the waters. They turned into a fist and jabbed him off his balance.

Hagen continued:

"But you know what they say about those who can't do?" He asked as he swung his axe at Verano's throat. "They teach."

Tears sprung out of Marzia's lids. She screamed for her brother:

"Verano!"

The chaos muzzled her call. Yet her voice still reached Verano's ears.

 _I cannot die._

He frowned upon his reflection in the approaching axe's blade. His eyes glowed white.

"Vad? (What?)" Hagen stepped back.

Flames fired from Verano's elbows. They thrusted his arms forward to tear Hagen's axes into pieces.

"Enough." Said Verano with an ominous tone, as if many voices spoke through the same mouth.

Once again, flames escaped from his right elbow. His fist dove into Hagen's stomach and broke through the man's armor.

"Argh-" Hagen spilled saliva. He clenched both fists. A veil of water formed around him like an armor. "You'll pay for this, White Wolf-"

A punch to the forehead silenced the man. He dove into the ground like a log.

Fire busted off both Verano's elbows. The boy's fists fell upon his fallen foe like rain. His blows became so fast that his arms disappeared from his spectator's sight. The ground shook and opened with every collision. Every punch dove Hagen deeper into the ground, as if Verano dug the man's grave with his fists. The beating crushed the Northman's armors and molded his body like mud.

"V-Verano?" Marzia faltered. She looked around in search of an explanation from her warriors.

"Princess Marzia!" Yelled Giovanni. He dropped his crossbow and grabbed Marzia's shoulders. "You have to stop him! He's gonna turn his bones into water like this!"

"I don't think you can just tell him to stop, pretty boy…" Faltered Candorra. The fur around her tail bristled more with every blow.

"What do you mean?"

"I barely heard his voice. I don't think _that_ is Verano..."

"Then who is it, then?" Recoiled Marzia. "Who possesses him?"

"I think many people..." She replied. "And they're screaming. It's awful to hear," she covered her fox ears, "it's like they are all joining forces to kill that guy..."

Verano dove a last fist against Hagen as if he hammered a nail into a wooden stack.

The boy jumped back, and two flames shined like a pair of Suns on the palm of his hands. Verano collided one pulse against the other and stretched his arms at his foe. The flames on his hands glowed as if two stars burned side by side.

"This power…" The Northmen faltered. The Black Hills were cold, yet they felt sweat creeping down their foreheads.

Verano rose his ominous voice:

"Begone!"

The flames erupted from Verano's hands and engulfed Hagen. The man's grave became a furnace that illuminated the entire Black Hills. Hagen's _Ring of Nibel_ called waters to heal its carrier, yet the heat was so intense that all water vaporized upon contact. The earth itself brewed.

The light from the boy's attack was so intense that the entire Black Hills shined yellow.

"He's doing it! Ha-ha!" Candorra rose her fist in celebration. "Verano's winning! Verano's winning-"

Verano eyes darkened once more. His flames cooled as he collapsed upon the ground with both hands on his heart.

"Argh!" The boy cried in pain. He felt his arms lighter than paper.

"Oh no," Marzia covered her mouth. Verano's chance was gone.

Giovanni rose his voice:

"Princess, we gotta do something! Listen, I have a plan—"

Marzia ignored him. She pressed two fingers into her mouth and whistled.

"On your horses, now!" She yelled towards the knights who stood on the hill. "We must save Verano!"

The Knights from Il Pugno Lombardo, the nobles from the Duchy of Sforza, ran after her. Marzia faced the hill's west flank as she distanced herself from the ridge. She rose her right fist and thrusted a flame into the sky. That was the sign for Adelhard, the son of the deceased Count Wenceslaus, to take his cavalry from the western flank and charge the Northmen's encirclement.

Yet the Northmen who once served Thyra did not attack. They only faced Verano while he agonized on the floor. No one dared to make a step ahead and risk repeating Hagen's fate. They searched their memories for reasons that the boy would have to turn into the _White Wolf_ once more and slaughter them. They all could find at least one motive.

Yet Hagen's arm reached out of his grave. He rose his head to face his men. He had become grey like ashes. The _Ring of Nibel_ restored his throat so that he could speak:

"What are you waiting for, you cowards?" He screamed at his men and strayed their sights away from Verano. "Can't you see he's down? Wipe them all out now! Waste no time!""

Hagen's men echoed his message:

"Yeah!" Shouted a captain. "Attack, you morons! Don't waste this opportunity!" He bumped his chest against the warrior standing in front of him. "Come on, angrepp! (Attack!)"

The Northmen reluctantly charged a weakened Verano. Their war cries echoed across the valley. The wind carried them to the hills to the northeast. Thyra and a small host of Edïm's warriors approached through that flank.

"Hurry! I'm sure that light that we saw came from the White Wolf," said Thyra as she faced her troops. She referred to the fire furnace that the boy had ignited. "We need to go, fast-"

An eerie voice interrupted her:

"You are late, Drottning Thyra (Queen Thyra). The Avatar was only a second away from stealing your revenge."

"Who was this?" She narrowed her eyes towards a man in glowing white robes. He sat on a carpet and watched the battle from the top of a hill. Spirits surrounded him and played.

"I don't speak to those who hide their faces." She pointed her axe at the radiant stranger. "Are you one of Hagen's thugs?"

The man smoked his narguille pipe, obviously ignoring her threat. He rose his heavenly voice:

"The Avatar's adoptive father has imprisoned himself and his mount near the northern shore of the River Tummel. He has an interesting theory on how to defeat Hagen." He blew a cloud of smoke that glowed alongside him. "You must set him free and ride together to the battlefield."

"And who are you and why I should listen to anything that you say, främling (stranger)?"

"Me? As of now, I am little more than a familiar face."

 **Fragments of Lore**

 _Metallurgy is a common practice in the Wild Lands._ The frequent wars, raids, and the constant threat of Spirits make _Smiths_ an ever more important profession. The most desired metal for military use is the _Dragon Luster:_ a metal only found in the _County of Dragons_ , an inhospitable region between the Kingdoms of Aachen and Badajoz, both parts of the _Empire of the Holy Flame_. Yet the presence of _Dragons_ , some of the most powerful creatures in existence, serves as a great hindrance to the extraction of the metal. The region is also direct domain of the _Empire of the Holy Flame,_ and its protection is one of the Emperor's responsibilities.


	26. XX - The Sofrza are United Again!

Two Northmen argued beneath the ice pillar where Duke Arnaud de Sforza was chained.

"Tell our boys on the northwest flank to go help the boss!" Shouted one of them with a pigeon cupped between the hands.

"For Bewulf, no!" Replied the other while yanking the bird from his partner's hand. "They need to stay there to block the reinforcements from the Wall of Siegfrieda! Hök sent us a message-"

"Any _reinforcements_ should have arrived by now, you dimwit!" He stole the pigeon once again. "Hök is drunk, there are no reinforcements!"

"Yeah?" The man stole his partner's feather-pen. "We'll look like two fäne (idiots) if we take these troops outta there and we get flanked from behind!"

"You don't need that to look like an idiot!"

"Oh, you..."

They heaved words at each other. The dizzy pigeon traveled between the hands like a letter.

"You are too cautious!"

"You are too reckless!"

"Give me this pigeon-"

An axe dove against both men. They fell onto the ground, finally silenced. The pigeon flew free to the skies.

"We are here..." Said Thyra as she sheathed the weapon. She glared at the distant hill where the Northmen and Hagen's forces fought against Marzia's Fire Knights. The odor of blood and steel tainted the breeze. She felt at home.

"Queen, what will we do now?" Asked one of her subordinates. Thyra had brought a small host of warriors from Edïm with her. They were only as many as she needed to show that the Western Tribe of the North Sea was once again loyal to her.

"Stay here." She replied as she climbed the ice pillar where Duke Arnaud de Sforza sat. "He'll tell us..."

Her Northmen exchanged sights. The chants from the battlefield bothered their ears. They knew that they did not have enough voices to confront Hagen.

Thyra reached the top of the pillar. She yanked her axe from her waist as she approached Duke Arnaud de Sforza. Ice chains kept him in place.

"Here to kill me?" He asked.

"Not yet. I'm here to kill Hagen. _You_ will help me and my men..."

"I don't do miracles." He chuckled sarcastically. "Your pathetic subordinates are dying like ants. Hagen's band is using them as meat shields. He will kill them if they try routing. They are prisoners between his forces and the Firebenders. There won't be such a thing as _your men_ once the Sun sets..." He leaned at the corpses dotting the battlefield. "Look."

She squeezed her eyes to see the fallen on the grassland and in the ruined forests. Their banners and flags paved the scorched earth. The distance blurred her sight from identifying the dead, yet her heart tightened with the notion that any people whom she knew could be lying dead on the battlefield. Even though those fallen were traitors, it was the blood of her tribe that painted the grass of the Black Hills.

"I must set them free," she asserted, "I'll turn what remains of my people around and join forces with your fire scum to defeat Hagen. It's the only way."

"Need help?" He asked, mocking her despair. "How repulsive those words taste in your mouth?

"As repulsive as necessary. Once I'm done here, I'll need as many arms as I can to keep the likes of you away from Edïm."

"That is a correct assumption if I ever heard one." He stretched his arms so that his ice chain became a clear target. "Avanti (Go), then. Free me-"

Her cold axe kissed his throat.

"Don't take this is an end to our war..." Said Thyra as she frowned upon the inscriptions on her axe. The names of her father and of all the High Kings who carried that weapon before were carved on the blade. "No one in this world can stop me from avenging my ancestors." She spoke with all certainty in the world.

"We'll see about that."

The Duke thought of Verano. Although the man had no idea of what an Avatar was, he feared that the child whom he had harmed and disciplined with a cold heart could be special. The boy had tamed the sullen Ice Queen Thyra after all.

She dove her axe against his chain and set him free.

"Let's go now..." He bit a finger and whistled to the top of his lungs. Scheherazade, his lion-lizard, broke off her imprisonment and ran to the ice pillar. He glanced at Thyra. "You at least know how to mount?"

She gave him a blank stare as if her mind refused to process the stupidity of his question. Although she had never ridden on a horse, she assumed that her time on Ness, a Sea Serpent, had qualified her for anything else.

"You'll need to ride on the front," he frowned upon his approaching mount, "that's where your men can see you."

"Ride? I..." She looked away. The thought of controlling an animal on her own bothered her. Verano was the one who gave her enough trust in an animal to endure a trip. "I don't like mounts. A Northman does well on their own-"

"There's a reason why war is called a theater." He glared at her. "Do what I tell you or lose the battle."

She looked at the corpses marking the battlefield. The dead whispered words of incitement into their Queen's ears without uttering a word. The Northmen do not bury their fallen for fear that they won't reach Val-Hella, the realm of spirits.

"I will do it." Replied Thyra as she stood on the edge of the ice pillar. She calculated her jump to the backs of Scheherazade, Duke Arnaud's lion-lizard.

The Duke, Thyra and her small host crossed the River Tummel and headed to the hill that Hagen's warriors encircled. The man's soldiers formed a thick semi-circle around Marzia's troops that stood on the hill.

Verano contorted on the ground with a hand on his heart and the hill to his backs. The Northment covered all his exits. Yet he could not act. The sudden power that had arrived and whitened his eyes was over. The transformation had exhausted him and almost costed him his life.

"Get him while he's down!" Shouted a Captain from Hagen's Warband. Hagen's men stood behind Thyra's former warriors as they reluctantly charged the fallen boy. They feared that his eyes would glow white once again and that his power would overwhelm them.

Yet the boy had no reaction while his aggressors rushed towards him with axes in hands. A harp's song was the only thing that reached his ears:

"Verano, Verano..."

"I-Is this-" He coughed. "C-Candorra's ballad about me?"

A rock hit his forehead.

"O-Ouch," snorted Verano with his eyes half open, "w-who is it?"

He opened his eyes and saw the desperate head from Giovanni, his architect friend, pointing at the Northmen who were about to crush the boy. Sound returned to his ears.

"Stand up, Verano!" Yelled Giovanni.

"Argh-" Screamed Verano as he stretched his arms to push him away from the dirt. He felt as if his bones had become softer than a birch's leaf.

"I-I can't?" Those words fell upon him like a hammer of mortality. His backs touched the ground again, yet this time he felt nailed to the dirt. Power had come with a terrible price.

The approaching Northmen ravaged the earth as they advanced. Idle, Verano knew that his fate did not differ from the trampled patches of grass underneath his enemies' feet.

" _Bene (Good), kids. You've completed my essay about Seneca's subjective interpretation of Iusos's new metaphysics through the Senecan dialectic method of_ _Senecacism._ " He heard the voice of Father Seneca, the egotistical priest who had (poorly) taught him how to read and write. The man lectured him, Marzia and Arnaud. Verano saw himself as a child once again. The priest continued: _"I'll let you know that despite what your father may say about me and my teachings..."_

 _"He called a good for nothing worm tongue."_ Said Verano with a naive smile on his face. _"I asked what that was, he ignored me…_

 _"Yes, that's what he called me,_ " the Priest rolled his eyes, _"and my goal is to show you that this knowledge is of uttermost importance."_

 _"I don't think we need that,_ " snorted Arnaud Jr, _"I'm gonna be a Fire Knight! What can I do with all this paper? Throw it at the kamaritans?"_

 _"Shut up, Arnaud!"_ Intervened Marzia.

Verano faltered.

 _"Arnaud made a good point."_ He said with a hand on his chin.

Marzia snorted:

 _"Now don't you dare..."_

 _"Well, he's certainly going to be a brainless Fire Knight who will own some land, drink wine and scheme some petty wars elsewhere,"_ continued Father Seneca, _"Marzia will be a brilliant Duchess, Queen or may I say it, Empress..."_

The girl smiled wide.

 _"If she finds out a way to be less neurotic about what doesn't go her way."_

She made a scowl uglier than a ferocious dog and crossed her arms.

 _"And Verano,"_ Father Seneca turned towards the boy. He was too young and his capacity to Firebend was still unknown. _"What are you going to do?"_

 _"M-Me?"_ He recoiled.

 _"Of course!"_

Marzia and Arnaud Jr stared at their brother. Verano swallowed dry. He felt different: the others had a predicted fate, yet he had the curse of making a choice. The boy recoiled as if Father Seneca threatened him. Feeling different from the family was a feeling that he never overcame.

Arnaud Jr pressured him to speak:

 _"You gonna be a knight, right, Verano? Like me?"_

 _"It's dangerous!"_ Marzia punched Arnaud's arm. _"My big bro can't Firebend..."_

Arnaud rolled his eyes.

 _"And this is why nobody asks your opinion!"_ He remarked.

Father Seneca swung his head at the children's foolishness.

"So," he spoke loud so that Arnaud Jr and Marzia would be silent, " _what it going to be Verano,"_ he faced the boy, _"will you be a man of the studies, a natural philosopher like me? A man dedicated to understanding the machinery of the Grey Guardian..."_

 _"He'll be a knight when he grows up! I'm sure of it!"_ Yelled Arnaud Jr with his hands clasped.

 _"Verano will be an elegant court physician!"_ Said Marzia. _"And he'll stay near to mend me when I need it!"_

Verano hesitated:

 _"I..."_ He swallowed dry. _"I-I don't know what I will do when I grow_ up." He frowned. _"All that I really want.."_ _He blushed as he faced his siblings._ _"Is to be with you guys."_

Verano opened his eyes and saw himself back to the present. The whiplash between the warm past in the Duchy of Sforza and the cold Alba in the desolate North was painful. The injuries imprisoning him to the ground were not what harmed him, but the death of his childish illusion of immortality. He dreamed of being together with his family forever, yet he waited alone for death.

"What is that flame?" Faltered a Northman as he halted his attack. "Look, you fools! From the shores!"

The Northmen turned towards the horizon and saw a flaming sphere crossing the plains.

"Dodge!" Yelled the men.

The fire drew a fiery line separating Verano and his attackers.

The boy rose his neck to face the origin of the attack. The flames had come from afar, and he could not see a face. Yet the wind carried Arnaud Jr's voice to his ears:

"I told I got your back, bro!"

"Arnaud..." Verano faltered with light in his eyes.

The Northmen stopped their attack. They stared at the curtain of fire that Arnaud's had ignited from the ground.

"What are you waiting for?" Hagen, their leader, rose his voice. He left a hole in the ground. Cyan blue water surrounded his body, healing his heavy wounds. "Want him to kill us all-"

The ground shook. Arnaud's fire curtain opened: a hundred horses from Il Pugno Lombardo, the warriors from the Duchy of Sforza, cut through the flames and charged the Northmen with spears directed at their hearts.

"Run-" Yelled a Northman in vain.

The knights ran over and trampled their enemies.

The Northmen flew like wild animals standing beneath fire. Verano watched bedazzled to the spectacle of fire.

"I found you!" Said Marzia pulling him from the ground.

"Marzia?" He could not believe that he heard her voice. "You-"

Verano lost his air as he looked her in her eyes. There was nothing to say.

Marzia embraced him tight without uttering a word. Her grasp felt warmer than any bed. His heart beat like a drum.

"We must go, bene (okay)?" She touched his cheek as she glanced at her horse. "Count Adelhard will attack soon. We need to get out of here!"

"A-A..." He stuttered painfully. "A-Alright."

"Come," she held his waist for him to climb her horse. She jumped on her mount and swung the animal's collar. 'Move!" She yelled at the animal.

Her horse rushed to the shores, leaving behind a hell of fire and steel from the battle.

"They will..." Faltered Verano as he glanced at the Fire Knights whom they left behind.

"They will be alright. They are from home! We can actually do some hammer and anvil!" She referred to the cavalry strategy of mauling enemy lines, retreating and attacking once again. "Wait—" Marzia frowned. She felt as if her mount ran too fast. "What's going on?"

Verano faced the grass and saw that the dirt beneath the mount's hooves turned into red ice. He rose his voice:

"Stop-"

The horse slid on the ice and stumbled upon the ground. Verano and Marzia fell from their mount and rolled on the ground.

"Argh—" The boy moaned in pain as he glanced at his sister. "A-Are you alright?"

"She is for now," replied Hagen. His loud steps made the ice tremble. His chest armor and helmet were gone. All that he had was a scowl possessed with anger.

"Thought you'd flee, Avatar?" The man asked with a grin on his face. "You've shamed me enough. But I'm glad everyone was there to witness your power," Hagen frowned upon his injuries. The boy was only a second away from claiming his life. "There's no telling how famous my name will be once I have your blood on my axe—"

" _Here lies yet another buffoon who stood on the way of the Sforza._ " Arnaud Jr mocked him.

"Arnaud?" Marzia's eyes widened as she heard his voice.

The boy nonchalantly walked on the red ice and lifted his family from the ground. He continued:

"I ran out of nice words for you, High King," he snapped his fingers, "it's time for the fist to talk-"

"Oh, look!" Hagen laughed. "The fatty Prince can walk..."

"Say what you want, redhead! We'll make you swallow it!" Arnaud rose his fist at the man. Verano and Marzia stood by his side. They served as arguments for his statement. Arnaud continued:

"Fear, Hagen: the Siblings de Sforza are together again!" He affirmed with a confident smirk. "And you've pissed us all off!"

 **Fragments of Lore**

 _The Wild Lands are also home to shady sciences._ Alchemists are mysterious researchers who do not associate themselves to the _Church of Heaven's Shrine_. Generally noble in origin, they keep their studies to themselves to avoid gossips from the superstitious citizens. Their main field of study are relics from the _Ruins of Light_ , ruins of advanced cities that dot the _Wild Lands_ and are often home to _Spirits_. Alchemists are also famous for writing extraordinarily cryptic messages that only other Alchemists can understand.


	27. XXI - The Miracle at the Black Hills

"Charge!" Yelled Adelhard, the vengeful son of the deceased Count Wenceslaus. He rode on his horse with his sights laid at the formation of the Northmen. A hundred Fire Knights surrounded him to charge the enemy lines. His foes were so many that their armors walled the horizon. "For my father!" Insisted the boy with his sword drawn. "Attack!"

The Northmen formed a barrier around the hill where the soldiers from the Empire of the Holy Flame stood. Fire Knights from Il Pugno Lombardo, the warriors from the Duchy of Sforza, were trapped with their backs against the hill. They had charged the Northman so that Marzia freed Verano, yet they failed to escape. Adelhard had the mission to free them.

"Knights to the northwest!" Shouted one of Hagen's captains as he faced the Northmen that once followed Thyra." Form a defensive line, you lazy scoundrel!"

Yet his men were too exhausted to follow his order. They lagged and groaned in pain. Wounds covered their bodies more than armor. Adelhard's charge would be lethal to both sides.

"This is bad!" Said Giovanni as he stood on a ridge and observed the incoming massacre. "Marzia is not here, so nobody knows what to do anymore. Adelhard will probably get trapped in their lines too; and we'll lose all our horses!"

"Don't be so pessimistic, pretty boy." Said Candorra while she toyed with her harp.

"Stop calling me that!" He protested. "I have a name!"

" _Pretty boy_?" She asked.

"Argh-" Snorted Giovanni as he shook her thin shoulders. "Can't you see what's going to happen, Candorra? Our Firebenders are on those horses! Without them, the Northmen will just climb our hill and kill us all! Just like that!"

"Quiet! I'm trying to hear what's going on with Verano..." She pulled her body away from his grasp.

"Argh!" Wailed Giovanni with both hands on his face. He fell on his knees and breathed loud from his mouth. "I can't die here, I'm everything my mom has!"

"Hey," she grabbed his shoulder, "maybe a song will upheave the spirits-"

"No musica (music)!" His head sprung off his arms to yell. "Please, Candorra," he lowered his tone, "I don't want to sound mean. But we are doomed! You should have never snuck in here. Staying in King William of Alba's castle would have been way safer for you..."

She rose her voice:

"Look behind you, pretty boy-"

"Please let me finish," he insisted.

"Okay! Fine!" She rolled her eyes. "Do as you please..."

"What I wanted to explain to you is that there is a time for everything. There's time t-to sing, to dance, to fight, to cry, to speak, to listen... You name it. And I am 100% sure that now is not the time to play music-"

A fiery sphere mauled Giovanni's head like a hammer. The flame knocked his helmet off his head and shined as if a star sat on the ridge.

"It sure was the time to listen..." Remarked Candorra as the boy collapsed unconscious near her feet. "Can't say I did not warn you, pretty boy!"

The sphere on the hill blinded those who saw it. Yet Adelhard did not look away from the light. His eyes widened instead:

"That is an order to stop from..." The boy turned his neck towards the northeast. "Duke Arnaud de Sforza!"

[img]

Duke Arnaud and Queen Thyra of the Western Tribe of the North Sea rode on Scheherazade, the Lion-Lizard, towards the battlefield. The Northmen that once served Thyra recoiled at the sight of their former leader. She appeared as if a miraculous savior coming with a ship to save stranded sailors. Yet Hagen's men felt shivers creeping down their spine. She was like a haunting in the mist for them.

"What are you all looking at?" Yelled one of Hagen's captains towards his men. "Wipe them all out!" He pointed at the trapped knights from Il Pugno Lombardo. Yet no one listened. Seeing Thyra dazed her former followers.

Duke Arnaud stared confident at the paralyzed battlefield.

"Hagen was the one keeping his slobs and yours in line," he told Thyra, "he has been using yours as the frontline of their formation. The disadvantage of this is that if they refuse to attack, the entire column becomes stale."

Duke Arnaud fired a second shining flame at Hagen's Warband. The flames were supposed to indicate a target. The man rose his fist and pummeled a flame into the clouds, signalizing for the archers on the hill to attack.

Arrows fell like a hammer upon the lines of Northmen. Yet none were injured. They rose shields and water barriers to block the incoming projectiles from the hill. Yet their effort to defend kept them in place.

"Adelhard!" Yelled the Duke as he pummeled a wide flame at the immobilized Northmen. "Charge now!"

Yet Adelhard did not attack. He struggled to understand the order.

"Was machen wir, Befelshaber Adelhard?" (What do we do, commander Adelhard?) Asked a Fire Knight.

"I..." The boy faltered. He clenched his fist in frustration. The Northmen whom he were about to charge were weakened and their deaths would quickly satisfy his lust for revenge. Attacking Hagen's men, which were almost intact, felt suicidal. "You wanna know what?" He swung his head. "The Duke knows what he does. Follow me!"

The Fire Knights from Adelhard lowered their spears as their horses charged at the designated targets. The movement of their horses ignited flames around their weapons. They advanced like a fiery hammer and landed onto Hagen's Warband. Bodies, blood, fire and water flew as both forces connected.

Yet the Duke directed his sights towards the troops stationed on the hill. He pummeled a flame to order them to attack. Yet the warriors from the Empire of the Holy Flame resisted. They looked at each other in silence as if they pretended that there was no order.

"They won't get out of their defenses..." Faltered Duke Arnaud de Sforza. "It has to be _your_ men," he faced Thyra, "they are the only ones who can help Adelhard's knights." He pointed at the weakened and exhausted soldiers on the frontline that once were her warriors.

"The Northmen won't fight alongside fire scum like this..." She argued.

"It doesn't matter. You must make them. You think that if you attack Hagen's thugs from behind, your men will attack to save you?"

She bit her lips and frowned upon the inscriptions carved on her axe. Thyra feared that she could not honor the names of the High Kings who marked the weapon. Yet the Duke insisted:

"Are you their Queen, or are you just wasting my time?"

Thyra closed her eyes as if she looked for an answer in her own mind. She could listen to her own confession to Verano when they were lost in the forests of the North:

 _"I'm just one girl."_ _She confessed._ _"Deep inside I'm still waiting for my father's ship to return so that he tells me that this whole Queen thing was just a bad dream. And then he can have his Axe of Edïm back,"_ _she frowned upon her weapon_ _, "and everything can be the way that it was before."_

Yet Verano's words echoed in her ears:

 _"I want you to give me a chance to prove that you saving my life was not a mistake. And that you were not a mistake."_

She yanked her chest from the waist and jumped off Scheherazade, the Duke's Lizard-Lion.

"I am not a mistake!" Asserted Thyra as she yanked her chest from the waist and jumped off Scheherazade, the Duke's Lizard-Lion. She charged the Northmen lines by herself.

"It's the Queen!" Announced a Northman. His voice echoed across the Black Hills. "She's coming to save us!"

"I must..." She began. An entire water table tore open the ground and moved into a tiny sphere rotating over her right hand.

A dozen warriors from Hagen's Warband turned around to defend against her. They saw her threat as insignificant.

"It seems Black Teeth failed..." Remarked one of Hagen's warriors as she prepared her bow. She aimed an ice arrow at the Queen's neck. "This is better for us..."

Thyra continued, resilient:

"I must prove that..." She spoke as the sphere of concentrated waters grew. She stood only 10 steps away from Hagen's band.

"Fire!" Shouted the archer as she prepared to fire an arrow at the Queen's chest. Other Northmen rose axes and blades over their shoulders to attack the women.

Thyra did not dare to turn a feet away.

"I must prove that I'm not a mistake!" She asserted as she heaved the sphere against Hagen's band.

Water exploded from inside the sphere and tore apart the Northmen's lines as if an ocean escaped a tiny exit. The waters knocked the warriors against the ground, slammed the unaware and scattered their formation.

"Ge sig på!" (Attack! For victory!) Shouted Thyra as she glared at her former nation. Her technique had surfaced so much water that it reached her knees and turned the plains into a shallow swamp. The sight filled her warriors with enthusiasm.

"Attack!" Her warriors echoed her command. They charged Hagen's warband to assist Adelhard's knights in their struggle. The Western Tribe of the North Sea and the Fire Knights joined forces for the first time in history.

Duke Arnaud de Sforza smirked. He stared at his troops waiting on the hill and pummeled a flame into the sky, ordering them to attack once more.

The infantry and bow men climbed down the hill and charged at Hagen's Warband. The alliance between Thyra's Northmen and the forces from the Duke evenly matched their numbers.

[img 2]

"This is extraordinary..." Remarked Thyra with her knees on the watery grass as she witnessed the miracle. The battle had devolved into two forces tackling each other like the horns from raging moose. Her men fought alongside Firebenders.

"Will it last? The alliance?" Asked Duke Arnaud. Scheherazade, his mount, approached the woman.

"No, I fear not..." She frowned. "If Hagen returns with his _Ring of Niebel,_ there's no way my men will stay by my side..."

"And what if you can get that ring?" Suggested the Duke. Yet she chuckled at that possibility.

"The ring makes him stronger..." She explained.

"No, that ring fights for him. Even when he's down to the point of being unable to Waterbend, the ring will do the work and heal him. I've fought Northmen berserkers who bended water to heal themselves with minimum movement during combat. They survived the most gruesome situations..."

"Like my brother." She pondered.

"Yet I've never seen a Waterbender who could do the same without moving an inch."

"Are you really saying an object is Waterbending by itself, fire scum?"

"If it is neither him, Hagen, nor an inanimate object that is Waterbending..." the Duke frowned, "I can only wonder who is behind it." He faced her. "Find Hagen. Take that ring. Kill him. Get that object under our control, and we can end this battle with minimum casualties. Hagen _is_ defeatable," he asserted, "give a man a weapon who wins him a hundred fights and he won't practice anymore. Take the tool away and it will be as if he never won a single fight."

"What about the host that I brought from Edïm?" She faced her troops that awaited from the other side of the River Tummel.

"I'll keep them there. There's no telling if Hagen or his followers will try escaping."

"I'll go now!" Said Thyra as she yanked the axe from her waist and ran towards the shore.

"Queen…" The Duke's voice halted her once again. "If Verano is still alive when you find him, tell him that..." His voice froze.

"Tell him what?" She asked. Her feet itched to run.

The Duke moved Scheherazade's collar and escaped her question. He charged against Hagen's Warband as if joining the hell of elements and blades were more comfortable than facing the reality that his adopted son could be special.

 _"Let this be a warning_ ," the man recalled his own words from when he burned his son's left hand as a lesson, _"for you to never risk your life for someone who would not to do the same for you._ "

He faced Thyra as she ran towards the shore to find and destroy Hagen.

"In time, Verano will count on her…" He asserted. "And she will prove me right."


	28. XXII - The Avatar's Sacrifice (Part 1)

"Verano, Marzia..." Arnaud Jr stood in front of his siblings. He eclipsed their view of Hagen, who stood only ten steps away from the three Sforzas. "I'll show you how it is done." Continued the boy with smoke coming off his fists.

"Pretty brave of you..." Hagen mocked him. The man had frozen the water on the surface to make Marzia's horse stumble. The whole battlefield ressembled a shallow frozen lake. "You've stepped forward to show your siblings how death looks like-"

Arnaud widened his mouth and breathed a fiery cloud at his foe. Hagen disappeared from sight amidst the intense flames. The boy's body became pale and cold as fire escaped his mouth. The heat was so intense that the icy ground covering the battlefield melted into red water.

"Arnaud might have a chance, Verano..." Remarked Marzia. She had an arm arched around her big brother's shoulder. The power of the Avatar had robbed Verano of his stamina. "Arnaud's Firebending is more like father's," she explained, "he can't expel as many flames as we do, but his fire is much hotter. If Hagen can just heal himself, attacking just once with overwhelming power might be better than attacking continuously-"

The melted waters rose from the ground and swept Arnaud off his feet.

Marzia recoiled:

"Arnaud, balance yourself!"

"Y-Yes-" Replied the boy as he struggled to remain standing. His legs were wobbly. His flames ceased.

Hagen rushed at him with the _Ring of Nibel_ flashing in the right hand. Cyan curative auras formed around the burn wounds that Arnaud's flame had opened.

"Look straight, Arnaud!" Said Marzia as she unsheathed her blade and swung the weapon horizontally. A flame in the shape of the blade flew against her enemy.

"Pointless..." Smirked Hagen as he glanced at the girl's attack. An ice pillar rose from beneath his feet and served as a platform for him to jump over Marzia's attack and land on Arnaud.

"Porca Miseria..." (Damn it!) The girl gritted her teeth as all that her attack did was cutting Hagen's ice pillar in half.

Hagen cast a large shadow around Arnaud as the man descended from the sky with his right fist prepared to hammer the boy into the ground.

Verano shouted:

"Arnaud, firebend away! Like I do!"

Arnaud stretched his arms formed. Two short flames escaped from his palms and propelled him back. Hagen landed only three steps away from the boy. A cloud of dirt and ice sprung off the ground as the man landed.

"It's far from over." Said Hagen as he rose both his hands.

"Wait," Marzia laid her sights upon the ice pillars that she had cut in half. Each of her foe's hands seemed to control a half. "Arnaud, get outta there!"

Hagen slapped both hands together. The two halves of the ice pillar attacked Arnaud from both his flanks to crush the boy like a fly. Yet the boy had no reaction. He threw himself onto the ground and covered his eyes with both hands.

"Arnaud..." Faltered Verano as bended water out of his canteen. "Boil it, Marzia!" He shouted as he bended the contents of the recipient and sprayed them at Hagen's face.

"A-Alright!" She pummeled a flame at Verano's water. Her fire boiled his waters as they arrived at the Northman's eyes.

"Argh, what is this—" Hagen recoiled at the liquids burning his sights. His sights of Arnaud Jr blurred.

The two halves of the ice pillar crashed into one another only a thumb away from Arnaud's nose. He lied down cold as if he touched noses with Death. The boy could not move an inch.

"Verano, go pull Arnaud off there!" Ordered Marzia as she yanked a flail from her backs and rushed at a dazed Hagen. She had the flail in the right hand and a sword in the left.

"A-Alright..." Said Verano as he hurried to save his brother.

Yet Marzia was not finished with her orders:

"And stay safe!"

"A-A-Alright..." Said Verano as he pulled a catatonic Arnaud by the arms. _So I can Waterbend as long as the water is not tainted with Hagen's blood._ The boy reflected as he helped his brother. _I'm too tired to make a single flame. Waterbending might be the only thing that I have left._

The reflection of Marzia's flames colored the puddles on the ground and robbed him of his concentration.

The girl swung her sword from a safe distance to immobilize Hagen while she rotated her flail's wrecking ball with the left arm. Each spin accumulated fiery sparks around the ball.

"They keep trying this," chuckled the man as he ran at her nonchalantly. His _Ring of Niebel_ promptly healed every scratch that opened his skin. Her attacks were obviously futile.

Verano's heart tightened as Hagen approached Marzia:

"Marzia!"

She threw the flail at her foe. Yet the chain that connected the metal sphere to the weapon broke in half. The ball landed a couple steps away from Hagen.

"Nice aim!" He mocked her as he yanked the axe from his waist.

"Grazie!" Replied Marzia as she stretched her arms and fired a flame against the ball. The sphere exploded and heaved Hagen like a feather. The sound of the explosion resembled the moan of a thunder.

Hagen disappeared amidst the smoke.

"Quick…" Marzia looked at her brothers. She gasped, nervous. Her arms shook. "We gotta go!"

"W-What was that?" Asked Arnaud as he contemplated the cloud of smoke. Verano and Marzia rose him off the ground.

"Some black powder that a weirdo from the East brought..." She remarked.

"What?" Recoiled Arnaud.

"Don't ask me hard questions now!" She arched her arm around her brother's shoulder. "We must get away!"

They ran to the rocky beach as if the ground was on fire. Yet something bothered Verano as his feet touched the shallow waters. He swung his head left and right.

"Arnaud, where's Ness?" He asked.

"Ness?" Faltered Arnaud. "Oh, you mean that sea monster? It should be around here. Can't you whistle to call it?"

"I-I can't whistle, remember?" Verano faltered.

Marzia rose her voice:

"That's obvious, Arnaud! Have you forgotten when Verano fell off the stairs and—"

A mist as red as blood formed around them. The group became silent. All they heard was the symphony of the waves.

Marzia grasped Verano's hand as if she held a treasure.

"Stay together," she said as she ignited a flame on her right hand to search her surroundings. "We must—"

Verano held her by the pulse.

"Don't," he glanced at her flame, "it'll show him our position. I hate mists like these."

Marzia smiled. His gesture had a familiar warmth. She recalled when they went into the Forest of the Hanged Doll to save Arnaud Jr when he fled home:

 _"Let's go in?" Asked Marzia as she noticed her brother faltered. He resisted entering the forest._

 _"I'm-" Verano blushed. "I'm a bit scared of the dark."_

 _"I'll..." Marzia opened and closed her right hand until a flame appeared. "I'll have this burning..."_

 _"Better not." He held her by the pulse. "Spirits will think we came to burn their forest. It'll be worse," explained Verano. "I hate places like this."_

 _"We'll go together, then!" Smiled Marzia as she held his cold hand. "I'll keep you safe, alright?"_

 _He looked her in the eyes._

 _"Alright."_

Verano's shout broke through her reverie:

"Marzia, look up!"

A heavy body of red water entered the mist and slammed the girl against the ground. She hit the rocky beach, unconscious.

"Marzia!" Shouted Verano as he crouched to help her.

Arnaud snorted:

"Brother, pay attention!" He grabbed his brother by the arm.

Verano rose his head and saw Hagen standing behind Arnaud.

"Get down!" Yelled Verano as he rose his fist and bended water to slam Hagen.

"Alright!" Said Arnaud, ducking.

The body of water from Verano tore Hagen apart like an ice sculpture. The boy rose his voice:

"Are you alright—"

The specter revealed itself nothing but a mirage.

"Wait," Verano recoiled at the ice shards littering the ground, "That was just an ice doll?"

Hagen stood between both brothers. The mist could not hide the rage in his eyes and the blood in his breath.

"I'll crush you like an apple," whispered the man as he mauled his fist against Arnaud's cheek and sent him flying.

Verano stretched his arm to help his brother:

"Arnaud-"

Hagen grabbed the Verano by the neck and rose him off his feet. The mist around them faded.

"I had plans for the future..." The Northman ranted. He yanked the axe from his waist. "You mistook for just some robber; no, no, no..." He smirked coyly as he choked Verano. "You see, the Northmen won't last forever. Not like we are right now..."

Verano glanced at Arnaud, whose fists had smoke creeping out of them. _He's not really unconscious_ , pondered Verano with an expression of relief. _I hope-_

"Look at me while I'm talking to you, White Wolf!" Shouted Hagen as he tightened his grasp of the boy's neck. "I had an ambition! I am not a thug! I was gonna be a king like those of your pathetic Empire! Not because that is what I wanted, but because that was it took! The Northman won't survive! Our way of life-" He gritted his teeth. "It's pathetic and outdated! We sack, eat, sleep and die. If not for me, all Northmen will either perish or go the way of Litvia and join your pestilential empire! I am what stands between our culture and obsolescence!" He shouted. "I've been in the courts of the Fire people before. You," he referred to Verano like a representation of all knights from the Empire of the Holy Flame, "you know what is luxury and comfort. You live with real luxury. You know what it is to have a crop for the winter and how good it is to do not live off your blade..." He walked while he choked Verano. "I want you to think of that luxury and cozy warmth of a castle while you die. The North Sea is no place for a knight..." He yanked the axe from his waist. "Marzia." Said Hagen as he directed an eerie glance at the girl. His speech was for her.

"No!" Cried the boy as Hagen approached the girl. Yet Verano had no strength to free himself. His body was exhausted.

"Watch carefully, White Wolf," continued Hagen as he toyed with his axe. He stood in front of Marzia. The cold shadow that his tall body cast felt like Death's embrace for her. "Her death blood will be on your hands, boy."

"No, no, argh—" Verano gathered air to speak. "A-A-Arnaud!" He stared at his brother, who played possum on the ground while his body stored to heat to attack Hagen. "Please!"

"V-Verano?" Arnaud recoiled. He rose his head from the ground.

"Attack us now!" Verano begged him. "He'll kill Marzia!"

"I-If I do it, you will burn-"

"Non sono importante!" (I'm not important) Cried Verano. "I've failed this!"

"B-But bro…"

"Y-You are there for me, right?"

"I-I..." Arnaud mumbled to himself. Tears creeped down his cheeks as he recalled his promise to Verano:

 _"If I fail one more time..." faltered Verano as he glanced at his brother. He knew Arnaud would help him bear any weight. "You'll be there for me again, right?"_

 _Arnaud chuckled. He swung his head and attempted to forget the criticisms that he often had about his brother's ideas. He knew that he could not think of anything better. Verano repeated himself:_

 _"You'll be there for me, right?"_

 _Arnaud rose his right thumb._

 _"Sempre. (Always)" He said with a cheerful smile._

Hagen rose the axe over his shoulder. Verano could see Marzia's unconscious reflection on the weapon's blade. The boy screamed to the boy of his lungs:

"Arnaud, do it now!"

"I-I'm sorry…" Mumbled the boy as he shoved the tears off his face. "We love you, big bro."

Arnaud knew that there was no other way.


	29. XXIII - The Avatar's Sacrifice (Part 2)

The words from Uncle Mario, the man who instructed Verano on the basics of Firebending, echoed in the boy's mind:

 _"A Fire Knight never expects to live forever."_ _Lectured Mario._ _"In the words of the deceased Emperor Lettow, the Fire Knight must fight even if the battle is already lost. The Knight's commitment is not to victory, but to doing what is right. Saint Theresa taught us this when she gave her life to free a village from an evil Spirit when all hope seemed lost. She sacrificed herself without expecting anything, yet her sacrifice filled the warriors with courage. They decided to follow her and because of that, they somehow scared the Spirit away. That was the day when a couple stupid rags who knew Firebending became true Fire Knights. They learned that their blade does not serve themselves and their own glory. The Fire Knights are but a tool of righteousness."_

Verano bit his lips as Uncle Mario's words echoed in his mind. Hagen held him by the neck and chocked him. The boy was helpless as the Northman manhandled his thin body, as if he held a chicken.

"A-Attack us, Arnaud!" Begged Verano. He saw the reflection of Marzia's unconscious face on Hagen's axe. Her death was a certainty unless Arnaud Jr attacked both Verano and Hagen foe with a fire blast. "You know it's the only way," insisted the boy with despair on his face, "do it now!"

"I-I'm sorry..." Mumbled Arnaud Jr as he shoved the tears off his face. "We love you, big bro!"

Arnaud closed his eyes and expelled all the breath in his lungs. His breath took the shape of a wolf's jaw.

"Marzia." Verano mumbled the girl's name as he closed his eyes. The attack blinded him. The boy felt as if he drifted into the warm unknown, like the last speck of sand falling down the hourglass of life and death. He could not tell how much time had passed or where he was. Both time and distance lost meaning. However, he embraced the confusion with a welcoming smirk as he realized that a part of him was dead already; the dead could not tell time, and neither could he.

"W-What?" Verano recoiled as Hagen's cold blood refreshed the boy's face.

Verano opened his eyes and saw his reflection on Thyra's axe as the weapon cut Hagen's arm in half. Verano fell at the rocky beach alongside the maimed hand that carried the _Ring of Nibel_.

"Argh-" Hagen howled as he fell on his knees. He felt all the unhealed wounds on his body burning as if he laid on a bed of spears. The _Ring of Nibel_ was not there anymore to soothe his pain and mend his wounds.

The rocky beach reflected the light of Arnaud's incoming flame. Hagen looked back and the flames opened their jaw to consume him. "Förbannar!" (Curses!) Shouted the man as he gritted his teeth and formed a water cocoon around him to block the attack

"Is that—" Verano glanced at the axe and saw the inscription from Thyra's ancestors. "Thyra!" He turned to the left and saw the girl running across the beach to help him:

"Get away, you dumb fire scum-"

Hagen's water cocoon dismantled itself into a massive wave. The waters were so powerful that they flung Marzia and Verano like feathers. They both collapsed into the waters adjacent to the beach, and the powerful tides of the North Sea pulled them undersea.

"Argh—" Wailed the boy. The cold waters consumed him. Yet he only had eyes for Marzia. He stretched his arm to catch her as she sunk deeper. He knew that she was unconscious and that her armor was too heavy for her to float. If he could not disassemble her equipment, she'd surely die.

Hagen stood on the beach and gasped. He could not attack again. He remained fallen on his knees with a hand on his maimed limb. He agonized without the _Ring of Nibel_ to heal him.

"T-The ring-" He stretched his left arm to grab the _Ring of_ Nibel. "Where was it—"

Arnaud Jr cast a shadow upon him.

"Stop right there," warned the boy with a flame on his hand, " _Almost-King_."

"Hu-hu-hu..." Hagen giggled at the threat.

"Yeah, laugh so you don't cry, thug!"

"Hu-hu-hu..." The Northman glanced at the blood that escaped his maimed limb. There was no _Ring of_ Nibel, so his burn wounds bled free. His blood crawled down the beach like spiders and reached the waters.

"Yeah, you are dying!" Insisted Arnaud. "Isn't that funny, you idiot?"

"Hu-hu-hahahaha!" Hagen laughed as the waters rose from North Sea like the wind. He pointed his maimed limb at Arnaud. The waters formed a red fist where the arm of the _Ring of Niebel_ once was.

"Bene," (Okay,) faltered Arnaud as he stepped back, "now this was _not_ supposed to happen..."

Hagen rose his water arm at the boy. His eerie water hand stretched like a snake's body and snatched Arnaud's jaw. The Northam thrusted the boy high into the sky as if he drew a rainbow with his arm.

"Die!" Shouted the Northman as his water arm dove like an arrow into the beach. Arnaud was the projectile's head.

The boy dove into the ground, yet he did not die.

 _What?_ Recoiled Arnaud as he noticed that a water couch amortized his fall. He rose his head and saw Thyra rushing at Hagen.

"This is for Joël!" She shouted with tears springing off her eyes. Hagen had murdered her teacher and second-in-command without any mercy. Thyra rose a line of ice spikes from in the space between her and Hagen. The spikes sprouted from the ground, as if they were flames consuming a tree.

Yet Hagen stood nonchalant as the ice spikes approached and threatened to impale him. His blood tainted the water in them, and they broke apart into a cloud of ice shards. Hagen glanced at the water inside Thyra's ice spikes and saw that his blood had reddened them. He smirked and rose both his arms. A hundred ice pillars rose from the ocean.

"This is absurd-" Faltered Arnaud as the man's ice wall blossomed. "You cut his arm off!" He said as he faced Thyra. "How come he's gotten stronger?"

"His blood..." She clenched her fists. "The more there is, the stronger seems to be his grasp of the Water. But he was reckless earlier..." She noticed that Hagen coughed and faltered. "He was too confident that the Ring would heal him and became reckless. Now he's losing too much blood. He'll eventually pass out..."

"And while that does not happen, he'll crush us like flies?" Asked Arnaud as Hagen's ice rose from the waters and darkened the Sun. "Those things will just rain from the sky!"

"You can run if you want..." Replied Thyra as she gritted her teeth. "I'm here for my revenge-"

"Yeah..." Arnaud rose from the ground and shoved the dirt off his clothes. "My siblings were thrown in the water, so..." He turned around. "Good luck with that revenge, Queen!"

An ice pillar descended from the skies to crush the boy.

"Save me!" Begged Arnaud as he hurled himself at the sand with arms arched over his head.

The ice mauled the land like a spear only ten steps away from them. The impact was so intense that rocks and sand sprung off the beach and became like the wind. Yet Thyra did not react. She had her sights firmly aimed at Hagen.

"T-T-That was too close!" Faltered Arnaud as he faced the girl. Yet she had no reaction. Her mind worked on a strategy to crush her enemy. "Damn it," the boy rose his voice, "you're so cold that you make my father look neurotic!"

"We need to get close to him." Said Thyra as she moved her arms and created a thick mist around her. She intended to obscure Hagen's sight of her movement. "Follow me."

"What? Why the hell would we get closer to him?"

"Can't you just stay silent and listen to me?"

Although Thyra remained fearless, the crashed ice pillar shook the Black Hills and the waters. Marzia, who sunk unconscious, opened her eyes with the shockwaves. She saw Verano hopelessly stretching his arm to reach her.

 _Thyra! Arnaud! Wait for us!_ Thought the boy as he stretched his arm to reach his sister. We _are coming back to help you!_

 _V-Verano?_ Marzia thought to herself as she saw him yet again fighting to be together with her. The sight of him was still unusual after a year without him. She thought that she was dreaming as her body sunk deeper. His image often came for her when she slept.

 _Damn it, Marzia._ Verano opened his mouth to call her the water blocked his voice. _She had to hold my hand, I can't hold much longer!_ He scowled in frustration. Yet he felt as if his thoughts went beyond himself, as if his angst overflowed his heart and enticed another creature. Verano opened his eyes as he saw Ness's eyes shining beyond Marzia's shoulders. _This is it!_ Verano grinned in excitement. _It's as if my emotions are bonding me to Ness. Come, girl;_ he smiled at the Sea Serpent, _help us!_

Ness flung itself to the surface and carried Marzia and Verano with it. The boy touched the creature's scales, and his hand recoiled at the heat.

"So you were preparing all along?" He smiled as he massaged the joyful creature. "I knew you'd not let me down." Said Verano as he recalled the teachings about how animals that go through the _Verbündnis_ , the alliance with a Fire Knight, often amuse themselves with the comfortable heat that fast movement creates inside them.

The creature reached the surface and Marzia opened her eyes. She felt Verano's warmth contrasting with the cold water dripping off her clothes.

"Where are we?" She asked as she held him tight.

"Look up, Ness!" The boy shouted.

"What did you just call me?" Asked Marzia as her eyes widened open. "What's that thing coming to kill us?"

Hagen hurled an ice pillar at Ness. He had turned his attention away from Thyra and Arnaud.

"Make a left, Ness!" Shouted Verano. The Sea Serpent growled and drifted to the right to escape the diving ice pillar.

The object mauled the water like a hammer and rose a tsunami that flooded the coast. Yet Ness remained untouched.

Marzia sighed, relieved:

"That was close!"

"We are not done yet," remarked Verano as he rose his sights and faced the hundred ice pillars that floated above Hagen's head, "he will throw them all at us!" The boy felt the heat in the man's heart and bended a water collar around Ness's neck. "Dive, girl!"

"Die…" Grumbled Hagen as he breathed through his mouth like a mad dog. "Die, Avatar!" The man clasped both hands together. His ice pillars dove from the skies like rain.

Yet Ness was a step ahead of every attack. The creature swam underwater. The projectiles slowed down as they entered the waters and the Sea Serpent dodged every falling ice pillar. The shockwaves of every pillar entering the water only propelled Ness forward.

 _Almost there…_ Verano tightened his grasp of the Sea Serpent water collar. He could see Hagen's red hair shining from the surface. A fiery aura formed around Ness as the creature neared its target. Its movement ignited the flames. _Three seconds and we are there_! Verano pondered. He had stored his stamina to Firebend one last time.

"Argh—" Hagen gritted his teeth. The surface turned into a shallow barrier of ice to block Ness from springing out of the water.

Yet Verano smirked at the desperate blockade.

 _Sorry, Hagen,_ his heart and Ness's beat like one, _we are hardheaded!_

"Kyu!" Roared the Sea Serpent as it tore through the ice surface and drifted to the side as to heave Verano as fast as it could.

"You pest!" Groaned Hagen.

"Stai giù!" (And stay down!) Said Verano as he dove like an arrow against the man. A large flame that combined his strength with Ness's busted off his elbow and thrusted his fist forward.

Yet the boy saw the rosary that Flavius, his deceased priest friend, had given to him; and that Verano had wrapped around his right arm. Verano's promise echoed in his head:

" _Avatar or not, I just know one thing: I won't ever kill again. Death has inspired many things in the Wild Lands and peace is not one of them."_

The boy opened his fist as his arm neared Hagen's chest so that a fist would not cut through the Northman's body and kill him. Verano's open palm pushed his foe's chest and hurled him like an arrow instead.

"A-Argh-" Hagen puked blood as he was sent flying. His consciousness left him . "M-My Kingdom…" He closed his eyes as his body landed on the ground, finally defeated.

Verano fell on his knees, gasping. He smiled as if he were in a good dream. He could not believe that the battle was finally over. Yet his act of mercy came at a great cost.

"I-I can't feel my arm, argh—" He kneaded his right arm.

"You did it, you did it!" Cheered Marzia as she ran to embrace her brother.

"Marzia, my arm—" He moaned.

"Kyu!" Ness joined the celebration and roared as loud as it could. Its voice muted Verano's agony.

"Finally," said the girl as she held him tighter, "you've done it! You got a bond with a Sea Serpent and you defeated that scoundrel, you—"

Verano collapsed, unconscious. He felt as if he had broken a tendon.

"B-Big bro?" She asked as she shook his body. "Oh no," she covered her mouth. Her arms shook. "Did love kill him? I always knew this would happen!" She shook his shoulders. "Please come back, I _just_ found you, I can't lose you again!" Tears filled her eyes. "This is not right—"

"Stand aside!" Ordered Thyra as she bended water out of her canteen and formed a curative veil on his wound.

"U-Ugh…" Moaned Verano he felt the curative water's warm touch.

"He's reacting." Announced Thyra.

"But that's just some water," Marzia looked away, "it's not going to save him. The fish die all the time." She crossed her arms. "I say he needs remedies."

"It's not any healing water, you dimwitted self-absorbed fire princess."

"What did you call me—"

"This water is a tea enriched with healing herbs that you only find in the Western Tribe of the Sea. It has special healing properties that reduces the pain," she explained as Verano's scowl relaxed, "It's what—" She hesitated. "It's what my brother used when he was alive."

Verano mumbled:

"T-Thyra?" He faltered. "Is that your voice?"

"Yes!" Marzia replied as she crouched by the boy's side. "How many fingers do you see?" She asked as her hand hovered over his head.

Yet the first thing that Verano saw was neither Marzia, nor Ness, nor Thyra; he saw Arnaud walking at Hagen's unconscious body with one of his sister's swords in hand.

"You tried to kill my family," began Arnaud as he faced his unconscious enemy, "you tried to kill me! But now…" He rose the blade over his shoulders. "I'll make sure you won't ever kill anyone again!"

Verano shouted:

"Stop!"

"I will," replied Arnaud as he calculated the attack, "just gimme one second!"

"D-Don't kill him!" Begged Verano. "We don't know who this guy is! We may not like him, and he might be dangerous; but if you kill him now…" The boy faltered. "There's no telling how many might have to die because we were impulsive. He needs a fair judgement!"

Thyra smirked:

"Any fair judgement would give him death in these lands…" She explained. "At least."

"Hasn't this place seen enough death already?" Verano confronted her. The ghost of her brother still haunted him. "

"Uhn, Verano…" Marzia cupped her mouth whispered words in his ear. "I've lost count how many times this Hagen scoundrel has died already. He just keeps standing up. I never thought I'd say this, but I think Arnaud and the blonde psycho are right."

Even Ness roared with anger at Hagen:

"Kyu!"

"See?" Concluded Arnaud. " _The case is made._ Everyone agrees this guy needs a good metal soup—"

Hagen's eyes widened open.

"Ah!" Arnaud recoiled and fell on his backs.

The Northman stretched his arm at Verano. A water spear flung at the defenseless boy.

"V-Verano!" Cried Marzia as she saw the incoming attack. Her heart urged her to sacrifice herself to protect him, yet her brain weighed and shackled her. Her body shook with terror.

Verano closed his eyes as he saw his reflection in the water that was about to kill him. He had defended Hagen's life and feared that dying would serve as nothing but evidence that he, Verano, was wrong for opposing violence. The words from his adopted father, Duke Arnaud de Sforza, echoed in his head:

 _Don't ever sacrifice yourself for anyone who would not, in a million, do the same for you._

Verano closed his eyes as shrunk as if he made himself fit in Death's nearing embrace. His body felt colder than ice.

"Wait," his eyes widened as blood wetted his face, "I don't feel anything…"

He rose his head and saw that Thyra had stepped forward to save his life. Hagen's water spear pierced through her body.


	30. XXIV - An Unbroken Promise (Finale)

"T-Thyra?" Verano recoiled as he saw his dear friend, Waterbending teacher and former enemy fall to the ground. She had sacrificed himself for the boy. Her chest bled. Hagen's ice spear pierced through her. "I will..." The boy groaned. His pain disappeared and his peaceful air was gone. "I will kill you!" He shouted as he yanked a sword from Marzia's waist and jolted from the ground.

"Verano, wait!" Screamed Marzia. "Your injuries-"

Verano could not reach Hagen. He felt as if all his bones were water. He collapsed on his knees, agonizing. Hagen mocked the boy while sitting on the rocky beach:

"I just wanted to get my revenge on the White Wolf, but _I'll_ take that sloppy second..."

"Stay right there, cane!" (Dog!) Said Arnaud. His sword kissed the Northman's throat. "My bro spares your life and this is how you repay him?" Arnaud snorted.

"Put that sword down, fatty. You're shaming yourself." Smirked Hagen. "There is nothing I can do anymore." He spoke the truth. His body had taken too many wounds. Words were his only means to hurt Verano.

"Then don't test my patience-"

"A Northman only takes offense in the mercy of others, fatty. Especially yours. And besides," he chuckled at Verano, "I've done all that had to be done." He jerked his chin at the scene as if he guided Arnaud's attention to his brother.

Verano sobbed like a toddler. He leaned over Thyra's ax so that he would remain standing. He had no energy anymore.

"Thyra..." He sobbed as he faced the Queen's fallen body. Her words and hopes echoed in his mind:

 _"All I have are expectations that I can never live up to." Confessed Thyra, morose."They called me a Queen when I was thirteen and expected me to avenge my father like he died trying to avenge his. But I'm just one girl. I'm alone."_

Rage boiled inside him as he recalled his now failed promise to Thyra:

 _"Give me a chance," he offered his hand for her to stand up, "a chance to prove that saving my life was not a mistake. That you were not a mistake."_

Thyra's blood touched the boy's knees. He felt his sanity fleeing away from him. Verano rose his frown and saw the cave where the girl told him the tale of her people:

 _"One day, the cries of despair from my ancestors awakened the Spirits of the Deep. They comforted what remained of our tribe. They gave news of our fallen. They said they hadn't died. Instead, they rested in Val-Hella and waited for the End Times when they will join us in the final battle. They taught us that heroes never die and those words never left our tribe."_

 _"Was it your father that taught you those words?" Asked Verano._

 _She nodded, revealing a smile that was rarer than a ruby._

Marzia held her brother's shoulder. Her voice awakened him from his reverie:

"Verano, it's enough!" She kneaded his shoulder, worried. "Arnaud and I can deal with that scoundrel. Be careful."

The girl was not the first to appeal to him. He recalled the last moment that he had with Thyra before he departed to the Black Hills:

 _Thyra's heart tightened as she saw the boy leaving the room. Her emotions spoke louder than her pride for once:_

 _"And Verano..." She rose her voice. A blush reddened her pale face. "Please be careful."_

 _"Don't worry," he shyly replied, "I-I will take care of myself! I'll be your dumb fire scum for as long as it takes!"_

Verano snapped. His eyes flashed red as he grasped the hilt of Marzia's blade and threw the sword at Hagen.

"V-Verano?" Recoiled the girl as the boy collapsed on the ground, agonizing.

"So this is how the Age of the Northmen ends..." Resigned Hagen as he saw his face in the blade's reflection. He closed his eyes and accepted his fate.

Yet a fist knocked the weapon against the ground.

Verano rose his sights and saw Thyra's reflection in the fallen blade.

"T-Thyra?"

"Stop sobbing all over my land, dumb Fire scum..." She glanced at him. Her usual angry scowl concealed the tears on her cheeks. "Hagen is _my_ enemy and as far as I remember, you can't die here..." He clenched her right fist and revealed that she wore Hagen's _Ring of Nibel_. "Didn't fire scum keep their promises?" A bright cyan aura engulfed the wound that Hagen's water spear had opened in her chest. The Ring mended her injuries.

"Y-You are…"

Hagen interrupted them:

"How pathetic..." He recoiled in disgust at Thyra. "First you fail your people and then betray your kin for a Fire Knight. You are the reason why this tribe will die-"

Her ice imprisoned the man. Thyra's _Ring of Nibel_ flashed.

"Fatty, Princess Snob..." She rose her voice at the Sforza siblings.

"Hey!" Protested Marzia.

"Take Verano to Ness." Ordered Thyra as she glared at Hagen's frozen body. "I'll finish this mutiny."

Water sprouted from the ground and from the North Sea. The tides switched as the woman combined her power with the _Ring of Nibel_. Yet Marzia's anger blinded her to the growing danger:

"I'm not _Princess Snob_! I can do this-"

"Shut up and run!" Shouted Arnaud grabbing his sister like a bag and rushing to Ness, Verano's Sea Serpent.

Thyra smirked. She was finally alone with her foe.

"Vi är ensamma nu." (It's only the two of us now) She said. "Oroa dig inte för doden. Jag har något värre än döden för dig." (Don't worry, you won't die. I have something worse than death awaiting you)

Hagen's eyes widened as he saw a mountain of waters raising from the North Sea to crush him like an ant.

 _This power..._ He thought as his sights laid on the _Ring_ that once belonged to him. _Why are the Spirits of the Deep forsaking me?_

The waves fell from the skies and carried Hagen with them. The waters advanced to the plains of the Black Hills where the man's Warband fought against the Fire Knights and Thyra's Northmen.

"Look!" Shouted Adelhard, the son of the deceased Count Wenceslaus, as he pointed at the approaching tsunami that flooded all in its path. He laid on the grass amidst the heat of battle, hurt:

"Is that-"

A typhoon surrounded Thyra's legs and propelled her over the tsunami. The _Ring of Nibel_ shined in her right hand for all the Northmen to see that she had the favor of the _Spirits of the Deep_. The cloudy sky opened and revealed that the Northern Lights returned to Alba.

"Thyra succeeded..." Remarked Duke Arnaud de Sforza as he pummeled a flame to the skies. "Retreat!" He shouted the order to his men.

Candorra, who fought in the host of the Empire the Holy Flame alongside Giovanni, giggled in excitement:

"It's over! Verano did it!" She spoke nonchalantly as she stood in the shadow of the approaching tsunami. "This deserves a song!"

"No!" Intervened Giovanni as he grabbed her by the pulse. "We must get away!"

The Fire Knights panicked and routed. They fled to the hill where their encampments were. Yet joy paraded on the faces of Thyra's Northmen. The reflection of her glimmering Ring brought light to their dim eyes.

"Vår drottning har återvänt." (Our Queen has Returned) Said a Northman with tears in his eyes. More wounds than skin covered his armor. He watched as his leader's tsunami descended from heavens and crushed Hagen's fleeing Warband. Thyra controlled more than water: she brought with her the certainty of a future for orphan Western Tribe of the North Sea.

The North Sea swallowed the Black Hills and brought an end to the bloody battle.

King Heinrich of Aarchen watched the scene from a hill with a host of Knights from his kingdom beneath him.

"Absurd…" He sighed.

Johann Martel, Heinrich's spymaster and Firebending teacher to Verano, failed to hide his chuckle at the King's indignation.

"My liège," began Count Otto, Heinrich's bald second-in-command who often disrespected Verano, "did Marshal Duke Arnaud de Sforza succeed at the skirmish? Any chance of a breakthrough for us to seize the opportunity and attack Edïm as I've planned?"

King Heinrich of Aarchen clenched his fists as he saw the swamp that Thyra's tsunami left behind. Bodies from Hagen's Warband littered the ruined soil. He looked back at the host that he had rallied and saw fear in the faces of all his men. He envied her power.

"I'm afraid there won't be a breakthrough, commander," remarked Heinrich as he petted Lavine, his lion-tigress, "if what the Duke has reported to us is true, Verano might have just cuckolded me of a victory by saving that impenitent Queen of the Northmen. Now let's go see the Duke," he heaved a loud sigh, "I'll need every grain of my acting skills to pretend I'm happy about all this."

King Heinrich and his army crossed the valley and reached the plains of the Black Hills. He smiled as cheers and partying warriors surrounded him.

"Thank you, thank you..." He said with a proud grin on his face. "It was a risk investing in Duke's expedition, but I knew his judgment was-" He realized that none listened to him. Both Thyra's men and Duke Arnaud de Sforza's army commemorated the relief of victory together. They had no eyes for the young King. "For the Grey Guardian, what is this?" He groaned.

"You're late, your highness." Said Duke Arnaud de Sforza as Scheherazade, his mount, neared King Heinrich. He spoke with a disrespectful tone as he often did. "You were supposed to arrive at the dawn of the second day to break the encirclement. Thousands would have died, had it not been for Queen of the Northmen, Verano and I."

" _Verano_?" Recoiled King Heinrich in disgust. "Verano de Sforza? That kid who walks around with a Zigana, a bastard architect, and your idiotic son?" He chuckled. "How could he save anyone?"

"Didn't they tell you, blondie?" Candorra ran through the crowd. "Verano's the Aviator!"

"The _Aviator_?"

Giovanni covered her mouth with his hand.

"T-The Avatar, my most cherished leader, argh-" the boy struggled to keep the Zigana's mouth shut, "the Avatar is the champion of the Grey Guardian. He is fated to bring balance to the-"

"I know the stupid fairy tale!" Snapped King Heinrich.

"I-I apologize, m-my lord."

Heinrich narrowed his eyes at Duke Arnaud:

"You believe this madness?" He laughed. "You believe that your adopted son is the Avatar, Duke? This has to be a joke…"

"I apologize, sir," the Duke smirked, "but I am a soldier, not a politician."

"And as a mere _soldier_ , then; what is your perspective?"

Duke Arnaud de Sforza glared at his men and the Northmen. A horn blew and they all turned their heads to the eastern shore. The shadows of Verano, Thyra, Marzia, Arnaud Jr, Juan, Gavrila, Áine, and Ness eclipsed the horizon. Cheers welcomed them. Both hosts united as one to celebrate their saviors.

The Duke smirked.

"As a man who is as disgusted as you are, my liège," he faced his lord, "no leader can tell where their men's hearts should rest their faith."

The Northmen took Thyra as the hero of their host while the Fire Knights from Il Pugno Lombard, the Knights from the Duchy of Sforza, surrounded Verano.

"Come here, amico mio! (My friend!) Ha-ha!" Said a Knight as snatched the boy by the arm.

"Be careful, Matteo!" Yelled Marzia as she tried to stop Matteo from manhandling Verano. "Verano's hurt-"

The Knights stole Verano from the girl. They held him over their heads and dragged his body hand to hand to the center of the Fire Knights.

"G-Guys, guys, be careful-" Faltered Verano. Yet his voice was mute amidst the ecstatic horde. The boy quickly resigned as a warm feeling took over his stomach. "This is like the time I learned to Firebend." He muttered with a joyful grin between the cheeks.

"Verano, the Avatar!" Chanted the warriors as they rested the boy on the floor.

"A-Argh." Verano moaned. He struggled to stand on his own. His body fought to stay in one piece after the long battle.

Stop moving, Verano!" Said Candorra as she sprouted from the crowd. "Acoustics won't work if you collapse on the ground."

"Acoustics won't work if you are sitting, Verano," said Candorra, "Lemme go prone! Knee down, that way it won't be a problem..." She lied down on the grass.

"C-Candorra?" The sight of her filled his eyes of luster. He never seemed so happy for seeing her.

"I'll just take a knee so acoustics won't be a problem..."

"C-Candorra?" He glanced at the King Heinrich who faced him like a mad dog. "I don't think this is too smart…"

"Quiet, I'm tuning the harp!"

Candorra kneeled before Verano and meddled with her harp. Yet the Fire Knights misinterpreted her gesture as a coherent sign of loyalty to him. Bodies fell on their knees all across the crowd. The boy faltered as he noticed that more warriors silenced themselves and repeated the action:

"Y-You don't need to do this," Verano blushed, "it's alright."

The crowd did not obey him. The Knights kneeled one by one until the boy was the only man standing in the middle of a sea of faces. The gesture gave the boy the acclaim of a king.

King Heinrich recoiled at the sight:

"Wait..." He swung his head in disgust. "Come on, that's already _too_ much. I can't stand seeing this-"

Every back that walled his view of the scene fell. All warriors, noble or lowborn, silenced themselves and got on their knees to praise the Avatar who could barely stand.

"Guys, this is not-" Verano blushed.

"Thank you, Verano," said Marzia as she kissed his cheek. She repeated their gesture and kneeled before him.

"Don't worry, big bro!" Said Arnaud Jr as he arched his arm around his brother. "If you can't stand the fame on your own, I'll help you-"

"Get down, you idiota! (idiot!)" Said Marzia as she pulled her younger brother by his shirt.

"O-Ouch."

Verano frowned and saw himself surrounded by people, each with a new expectation of him. He glanced at the host of the Northmen and Thyra's blue eyes shined amidst the crowd. She nodded in support of him.

 _"We are both gonna make it. I don't doubt anymore."_ Reflected Verano as he nodded back at Thyra.

Yet a face robbed the boy of his attention. He rose his frown and narrowed his eyes at his adoptive father, Duke Arnaud de Sforza. The man resisted taking a knee, even when Count Adelhard and all around him did so.

Yet Johann Martel, Heinrich's spymaster, approached the Duke and whispered words in his ears:

"This is greater than you and your family quarrels, Marshal. You know this well."

Duke Arnaud heaved a loud sigh and took a knee. All the Fire Knights recognized Verano as the Avatar, except for King Heinrich himself and Count Otto.

"This is outrageous," said the young king, "they won't knee for their lord but will happily submit to a little kid-"

Count Otto took a knee. All the stares from the crowd imposed too much weight upon his shoulders.

"Even you, Otto?" Recoiled Heinrich.

"Let's just get this over with, my liège."

Heinrich rose his stare and faced Verano. The boy recalled his words about his king:

 _"I think that we are destined to beat horns forever."_

King Heinrich jumped off Lavine. He faced the carpet of angry stares that paved the ground.

"What do you all see in him?" He questioned himself as he narrowed his eyes at Verano. The boy seemed frail, hurt and incapable.

Heinrich attempted to get on his knees, yet his pride hurt him like a blade whenever his knee leaned forward. The young King recoiled in disgust:

"No. I won't do this." He shouted with his sights laid at Verano. "You're not a chosen one, you're a brat. Avatar or not, I deny you."

Heinrich turned around and mounted Lavine, his lion-tigress, once again. He continued:

"The Emperor of the Holy Flame, bearer of Lettow's cause, is the Champion of the Grey Guardian. Not you, Verano de Sforza." He ranted while pulling his mount's collar. "Let's go, Lavine."

He turned his backs to the Avatar and departed from the Black Hills.

Yet Verano did not bother. The rejection from Heinrich was expected. What the boy never imagined was that Duke Arnaud de Sforza, his adoptive father, would recognize him. If even the coldest man in the world accepted that Verano was the Avatar, the boy had no more room for doubt: he was the one fated to bring balance to the Wild Lands. The people who looked at him with trust and love in their eyes were whom he was supposed to protect.

"I think I'm ready, Flavius," he frowned at the rosary that his deceased friend had left him, "I'm ready to make a difference."

The night fell unnoticed upon Alba. Large bonfires dotted the dim lands and shadows danced around them. Voices sang loud and refused to tire. They filled the Song of the Winds with music and cheers to spread around the Wild Lands.

Verano sat in a hut by the shadow of the Wall of Siegfrieda, the construction that separated the lands of the Kingdom of Alba and the Western Tribe of the North Sea. He was too exhausted to party. He lied down with Arnaud Jr and Marzia by his side. Yet his brother's snores did not allow him to sleep. His sister wrapped her arms so tightly around Verano that the lavender scent in her hair was more vivid than in a field of flowers.

"I can't sleep," sighed the boy as he stood up from their mat.

He stretched himself and readied to leave the hut, yet the sight of his siblings being so close to him robbed Verano of a tear. He was home.

"I'll be right back," he rustled to his sleeping siblings, "I'll see how Ness is holding up."

He left the hut and made his way through the encampment. He thanked the Grey Guardian that the warriors were too drunk to recognize him. Yet he saw a familiar face drinking alone near the edge of the party.

"Giovanni?" The boy rose his voice.

"V-Verano?" Faltered Giovanni.

"So good to see you, amico! (Friend!)" Remarked Verano smiling at his old friend. "Why haven't you talked to me?"

"It's..." Giovanni looked away and heaved a heavy sigh, jealous. "It's complicated."

"Don't worry about this! I want to see what you have been building. You have been making weird things, right?"

"Not recently." The boy frowned. "King Heinrich did not care about my machines..."

"Screw him. You're great," said Verano with a wide smile on his face, "you must carry on!"

"I have no name, Verano. It's not so easy for people like me." Replied Giovanni with a sad scowl on his face. "I'm not the Avatar. I'm not a noble and I might be even lower than just a pleb." He ranted. "I'm just a bastard that someone dumped and walked away. Don't you know how much it hurts to do not have a history? To do not know who you really are?"

Verano frowned at his necklace with the kamaritan inscriptions. The object had never left his side, even during bondage. Yet he still had no clue of why he carried that accessory. Yet he narrowed his eyes at his friend and lied:

"No, but I have my suspicions."

"You know what?" Giovanni frowned. "I'm sorry for having asked that. I'm a bit drunk and feeling bitter right now. I know the Sforzas adopted you."

"No, I think you were right to complain. I'd not know what it is to do have a history," he glanced at his hut and saw, through the gap, Arnaud Jr, and Marzia sleeping. "I think I belong to a great family."

Giovanni glared at the girl as she slept.

"You sure do." He sipped his mug to hide the sorrow on his expression.

"Listen," Verano grabbed his friend's shoulder, "I'll see how my Sea Serpent is doing. Come by in the future for us to explore together."

"Carry on, amico mio..." Giovanni sipped his mug of ale. "Carry on."

"Grazie! (Thanks) Good night!" Said Verano with a smile on his face as he walked away.

Yet Giovanni did not reciprocate. He only drank and his scowl grew uglier with every sip.

"We were supposed to be on the same level…" The boy snorted. "Yet I'm a failure. And he is the Avatar."

Verano walked to the shores. He made his way through bushes and trees. Spirits glowed in the dim wilderness and gossiped as he passed.

"There she is!" He saw the shadow of a Sea Serpent basking under the Full Moon's gleam. Yet a familiar face amused the creature. "Wait," Verano faltered, "that is—"

Thyra petted Ness's face and fed it, unaware that the boy observed her. She had a smile as bright as the Moon reigning over the sky.

"I thought you had gone home..." Remarked the boy as he approached her.

She hid her smile and glanced at him.

"That is what we told _you_." Replied Thyra. "W-We came here to make sure that your people wouldn't try anything. You can't trust the fire scum."

"Really?" Verano frowned, disappointed. "I thought you had come to see me..."

"I'd never do such a thing!" She blushed and narrowed her eyes at the Sea Serpent.

Verano watched her as she fed Ness. The animal ate a fish and rested its head on her lap. The boy could barely speak. The pale moonlight on the girl's pale face overthrew him.

"H-Hey, Thyra," he hesitated, "we are Ness's family, right? Y-You'd mind if I took her with me for now? The world is big and walking would take too long."

"Do what you want." She looked away and crossed her arms. "Just don't use it against the Northmen."

Verano frowned.

"Your people and mine will have to fight again, right?" He asked.

Thyra yanked the ax from her chest and saw the names of her ancestors.

"They will." She faced him. "But not now. Many died during Hagen's Mutiny. I'm glad that he is locked and waiting for a fate worse than death. Yet thanks to him, all my people can do right now is to defend and wait for a new generation of warriors to come by. Until then," she frowned upon the _Ring of Niebel_ that she had stolen from Hagen, "this is our protection."

The boy sighed. He felt as a part of him died whenever he saw her alone.

"It doesn't have to be like this, Thyra;" said Verano, "I know how much your ancestors mean to you. But if I learned something in Alba, is that things can't stay the same forever. The old ways must give in someday."

"How dare you say this to me?"

"Think about it!" He insisted. "Had you followed what your ancestors did and drowned me in the North Sea, all your men would be dead right now." He argued. "You taught me that Water is the element of survival. Maybe to survive, sometimes, we just need to change and do what is right. I came to Alba from a very distant land because I was looking for a thrill and warmth that I already had at home. I just needed to mature to be able to see it. Maybe your people don't need to sail so far to find happiness. I think if you try and change, you'll see that all that your people need is already here..." He narrowed her eyes at her. "Very close to them."

"Maybe..." She shuddered. "Maybe you are right, dumb fire scum."

"Listen," he approached her until he could hear her breath, "I haven't forgotten what happened between me and Erik, your brother. Sometimes I like to think that it was those strange voices that killed him, but I just know it is not true." He confessed. "I was the one who could not tame my anger. This killed him, and I regret it every day. So much that I almost lost you because of that regret. I keep making mistakes."

"About my brother..." She rose her head to the sky. The Northern Lights roamed the clouds They served her as a good excuse to do not look him in the eyes and blush. "Stop talking like he is dead. Haven't you learned anything about the Northmen? We don't fear death." She glanced at him. The tears on her cheek mirrored the moonlight. "Heroes never die. They just wait for us."

"G-G-Grazie..." (Thank you) Gasped Verano. He felt as if the woman set him free from a mountain that crushed his shoulder. The boy often felt as if Erik's corpse grasped his knee wherever he went.

Thyra took Ness's head off her lap and stood up.

"It's time for me to go," she announced, "I think I've said all that…" She held herself not to sob. "That had to be spoken. I'll go." She spoke as if she tried to run away from him without catching his attention.

Yet her attempt was futile.

"Hey, Thyra..." Verano rose his voice. "When you threw yourself to protect me from Hagen's attack, you knew that the _Ring_ would save your life?"

"O-O-Of..." She faltered. "O-Of course I knew, dumb fire scum! I'd never..."

Verano smiled. He did not believe a word that she said.

"You know, Thyra," he blushed, "I-I think I like you. I don't know how to say this, but I..."

She mumbled noises, unsure what to say. Her skin was so red that a strawberry would envy her:

"T-T-Take these thoughts away from your head, dumb fire scum!" She protested. "What exists between us is complicity and that is all there is! I hate you and you shouldn't think otherwise. You are no more than a future enemy! And besides, your creepy Princess Snob has already marked her territory. I can feel her stupid lavender smell all the way from here!" She stepped back as if she tried to run away from him. "You take me for stupid court damsel who is looking for drama to fill her empty life-"

She stumbled on a rock.

"Thyra!" Verano ran to catch her.

"Kyu!" Growled Ness.

The creature was faster. It moved its head to support the girl's back as she fell.

Verano sighed in relief:

"T-Thank you, girl-"

He stumbled on the same rock and fell by Thyra's side. He rose his right hand around her waist to remain standing.

Thyra grumbled:

"What you think you are…" She lost her air.

They faced each other from up close and their reflections filled each other's irises. Verano could hear her heart beating faster underneath her armor, contrary to all that she said. And like Johann Martel once told him, the heart does not lie.

"I-I know you won't believe me," mumbled Verano without taking his hand off her waist, "But none of this was on purpose-"

They exchanged a clumsy kiss. They touched lips and drew each other closer so that they shared the warmth of their breaths. Their embrace felt even warmer amidst the cold breeze of the North Sea.

Spirits watched from the wilds and gossiped about both had no idea what they did. Yet they moved away as an eerie observer in white robes approached to watch the couple from the wilds. Dust passed through his body as if he had no physical form. A carpet and a pipe of narghile littered the ground near him. He was the stranger who talked to Thyra as she approached the Black Hills.

A Spirit in the form of a centipede walked through the forest and reached the man. He glanced at the being.

"You're late." Said the man with his eyes once again narrowed at Verano and Thyra.

"I apologize, teacher," the head of the centipede glanced at the bodies of Northmen attached to its surface, "some of them were really deep in the mud." The creature faced the kiss young couple. "That looks disgusting. Humans are nasty creatures. Why would he choose anyone over Marzia?"

The white-robed man ignored the pointless gossip.

"It seems that the Moon's Spirit was correct. Both the Iblis and the White Spirit share the body of the Avatar. As of now, the White Spirit is stronger, but not for long. The Iblis's red eyes have begun to manifest themselves. The Iblis is feeding on his hatred and growing stronger. It is a matter of time before the Dark Avatar returns to this world."

"The Moon's Spirit has told you to extract the Iblis, teacher?"

"Not yet. Hadi," he referred to Verano's real name, "is yet too weak and young. Only the strongest hatred will free the Iblis and give me a chance to extract it from his body. He's just a boy."

"We must hurry, teacher." Said the centipede Spirit. "If Hadi meets the Grey Guardian, we will be in trouble. I'm sure that decrepit being will fail to see the danger that a new Avatar represents. The Iblis has the power to corrupt all the Spirits in the world and destroy both this realm and the other."

"The Sultan of Hélika will take care of it. He's rallying the largest army ever assembled. He'll destroy Heaven's Shrine and raze the Empire of the Holy Flame. We must bid our time. And besides," he glanced at Verano as the boy watched Thyra walk away, "I'd like to see my son mature."

 _ **Avatar: The Wild Lands**_


End file.
